Tsujihara Steps Down as Warner Bros. CEO

AT&T’s WarnerMedia unit today said that Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara will step down from his position at the company.

No replacement for Tsujihara was named.

The move follows reports that Tsujihara had a sexual relationship with an actress who wanted parts in Warner Bros. films and TV shows. The company had said it had investigated the matter earlier but was looking into the newest allegations.

“It is in the best interest of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros., our employees and our partners for Kevin to stepdown as Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.,” said WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey in a statement Monday. “Kevin has contributed greatly to the studio’s success over the past 25 years and for that we thank him. Kevin acknowledges that his mistakes are inconsistent with the Company’s leadership expectations and could impact the Company’s ability to execute going forward.”

WarnerMedia said it continues to work with a third-party law firm to complete its investigation with Tsujihara’s cooperation.

The move means that the executives who had been heading WarnerMedia’s HBO, Turner and now Warner Bros. units have now left the company.

In a recent restructuring of the company, Tsujihara had added responsibilities for Cartoon Network and the rest of Turner's kids business.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.