Chuck Lorre on Sexual Misconduct in Hollywood: ‘It Has to Be Made Safe for Everyone’

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Chuck Lorre indirectly addressed the sexual misconduct allegations against CBS chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves during an appearance the TCA summer press tour on Sunday.

Lorre co-created “The Big Bang Theory,” which is currently the highest-rated show on , as well as several other CBS shows. He declined to comment directly on the allegations against Moonves, but did say it is important that people feel safe when they come in to work.

“I’ve been in some unsafe environments in television. You can read about that,” Lorre joked, referencing his infamous falling outs with  stars like “Two and Half Men’s” Charlie Sheen and “Grace Under Fire’s” Brett Butler.

“Why would anyone want to go to work in an environment that’s not nurturing?” Lorre continued. “You can’t do good work in an unsafe enviroment. It has to be made safe for everyone….That should go without saying. That’s common courtesy and decency to take care of each other.”

On Friday, The New Yorker published a piece by Ronan Farrow detailing the stories of six women accusing Moonves of sexual misconduct as well as threatening to ruin their careers if they ever came forward. Some of the allegations go back as far as the 1980s during the executive’s early days in television. The CBS board of directors is expected to take up the issue of how to deal with the situation on Monday.