Jeff Shell Out As NBC Universal CEO

In the latest sex scandal to shake Hollywood’s executive ranks, NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell is stepping down after three years in the top job due to “an inappropriate relationship,” parent company Comcast Corp. announced Sunday.

Comcast in a statement said that it and Shell “mutually agreed” that he would depart effective immediately, following an investigation into inappropriate conduct led by an outside counsel, reports The L-A Times.

“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal,” Shell said in a statement. “I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret. I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”

The woman Shell had an affair with was identified by Deadline.com as anchor and Senior International Correspondent Hadley Gamble. The outlet said the pair started a relationship 11 years ago and continued sporadically for years.

Hadley Gamble

Comcast does not plan to immediately start a search to find Shell’s successor.

Instead, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh will take over Shell’s senior team and lead the entertainment company in the interim, Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts said in a note to employees. Nine executives, including Universal Pictures Chairwoman Donna Langley and entertainment networks chairman Frances Berwick, had reported to Shell.

“We are disappointed to share this news with you,” Roberts and Cavanagh said in the note. “We built this company on a culture of integrity.”

It was unclear how long Shell had been involved in the inappropriate relationship with the woman. Comcast said it acted “quickly” after launching the outside investigation.

The Wall Street Journal reports Shell’s departure comes at a critical time for NBCUniversal and Comcast. The company’s Peacock streaming service has made strides, but is still much smaller than services backed by industry rivals. In the fourth quarter, Peacock surpassed 20 million paid customers but lost nearly $1 billion on an adjusted basis, the company said.

Meanwhile, the cable TV business—long a profit engine—continues to erode from cord-cutting, as is the case across the media landscape. NBCUniversal owns networks such as Bravo, E! and USA, along with news channel MSNBC.

Shell was named CEO of NBCU in 2020 and guided the Comcast entertainment subsidiary through the industry turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. His role included oversight of NBCU’s studios, networks, and theme parks. He also oversaw the launch of NBCU's Peacock streaming service.

Shell earned praise from the company for his work during the pandemic and saw his compensation jump 30% in 2021 as the result of a massive bonus.

Shell earned more than $21.5 million in 2021, up from $16.5 million the year prior, according to Comcast's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That included a bonus of $9.98 million.

Before becoming CEO of NBCU, Shell was chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment from 2013 to 2019. That followed stints as Chairman of NBCUniversal International and President of Comcast Programming Group.