Paramount TV Chief Is Latest Exec to Be Fired Over Alleged Racist Remarks



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 amy powell

By Michael Buckner / Variety / REX.

Paramount Television president Amy Powell has been fired by racially insensitive remark in the workplace, according to Variety . Powell has been working at Paramount for 14 years, and has vigorously denied the allegation. "Powell said in a statement, per Variety . "The facts will come out and I will be vindicated."

Jim Gianopulos who feels a memo to staffers

"Having spent the past several The same conclusion was made by the Human Resources and Legal Research Committee, and immediately afterwards, "Gianopulos wrote in the memo, Variety notes. "While it is incredibly difficult to share the value of our community, it is imperative that we make the most of these values ​​and ensure that they are safe and effective in the workplace."

A source told Variety That the incident occurred during a conference call on Paramount's series adaptation of the First Wives Club to be written and executive produced by Tracy Oliver ] Girls Trip ). Variety notes. Powell apparently "made statements about black women being angry for various reasons". Producer Karen Rosenfelt and others were present in the meeting, as was an African-American badistant to a different TV exec; the badistant complained about Powell's comments to higher-ups at the studio. Powell was, reportedly, referring to (and displeased with) a recent tweet sent by Oliver, who is black. The writer and producer was criticizing the lack of representation among decision-makers in Hollywood, saying "A black female voice does not matter if the decision makers do not understand nor even want to understand what you're saying."

Powell worked on numerous buzzworthy shows during her time at Paramount, most recently Netflix's 13 Reasons Why and TNT's The Alienist . Her firing is just the latest in a recent rash of high-powered executives In late June, Netflix communications spokesman Jonathan Friedland was fired after reportedly using the N-word twice on two occasions with company staffers. Friedland, who worked on Netflix for seven years, said in his statement that he was "insensitive in speaking to my team about words that offend in comedy. I feel welcome to the people of this world. I am honored to have built a brilliant and diverse global team. "

And just last week, Papa John's founder John Schnatter resigned after-service with the Laundry Service. Schnatter, whose image is inextricably linked to the pizza company, has made a statement saying he thinks "it was a mistake" to resign. "Our company did not know how to handle a crisis based on misinformation," he wrote. "

And yet this is not quite on the exec beat, ABC also made waves this spring, when it was not so easy. it was canceled Roseanne after star Roseanne Barr made president President Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett . In a tweet, Barr said Jarrett, who is black, looked like "the muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby." Barr has since blamed Ambition and frustratedly that she actually thought, at the time, that Jarrett was white.

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