Five more women have come forward with serious sexual abuse allegations against Republic/Universal Music Group executive Charlie Walk. Walk and his attorneys are denying all of it.
Charlie Walk is now being accused of a relentless, multi-decade reign of sexual abuse against numerous female staffers. The bombshell accusations were recently published by Rolling Stone, the result of a month-long investigation involving nearly two dozen sources.
Those sources worked alongside Charlie Walk at either Columbia Records (part of Sony Music Entertainment) or Republic Records (part of Universal Music Group). At present, Walk is on paid leave from Republic pending an investigation (more on that ahead).
The latest accusations exclusively involve young-20s female staffers, most of whom reported directly to Walk and were new to the music industry. These former employees have pointed to a non-stop, predatory campaign by the top-level executive, with both verbal and physical menacing.
At best, Walk is accused of suggestive comments, unprofessional advances, and lurking on personal social media accounts. At his lowest, Walk is — to be entirely blunt — grabbing pussies, dry-humping employees, sending dick picks, forcibly kissing staffers, and tackling women onto couches and lying on top of them in the middle of a workday. Oh, and offering career advancement in exchange for sex.
And these accusations span more than two decades.
Enter Pam Kaye, who worked for Columbia Records for seven years.
She was also Charlie Walk’s personal assistant for 18 months, and said she endured constant harassment from Walk during her employment. In 2004, Kaye says Walk forced his hand down her pants in a car while returning from a meeting. Others were also in the vehicle, according to Kaye.
“He took his hand and put it down the front of my pants,” Kaye told Rolling Stone. “I had to subtly try to get his hand away. It’s like a game. He would test the limits as much as he could.”
Kaye says she discreetly batted Walk’s hand away, hoping the others in the car wouldn’t notice. Walk persisted.
Here’s what Kaye recounted:
“There were other people in the car and all I was thinking was, ‘Are they seeing this? I just felt so much shame. I always thought that people thought that I wanted something from him … which obviously I never, ever did. I always thought that people thought that I was asking for it.”
A co-worker said that Kaye exited the vehicle ‘bright red’ and in shock. “I remember her getting out of the car and being bright red,” the colleague stated. “She was mortified and was just like, ‘I don’t know what to do.'”
That wasn’t an isolated incident, according to Kaye. Instead, it was part of a relentless campaign that also included forcible body contact (while erect) and an unwanted tongue in the ear. Kaye also says that Walk tossed her onto his office couch numerous times, then forcibly made out with her.
Oh and this gets worse.
Kate Harold, who was also Charlie Walk’s assistant, also says the abuse was relentless. Harold says she accepted an invite to attend a work-related dinner with Walk. Then this happened:
“Shortly into the dinner, I went to the restroom. When I came out, he was standing right outside the restroom alone… Before I could do anything, he forced his lips on mine with a quick, hard kiss and then rubbed his crotch up against me, letting me basically feel that he had an erection. I felt extremely dirty and ashamed. I was embarrassed and just felt violated and gross.”
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Harold says she lived ‘every day in fear’ while reporting to Walk. But Harold also says that Walk offered to advance her career — if she put out.
“Every day was a day of fear. It was really scary and depressing and probably the worst time of my professional life. Early on in my job, he sat uncomfortably close to me and told me that he could lift my career to extraordinary heights but that I had to be ready to do ‘whatever it takes.’ He was clearly implying that I needed to be willing to sleep with him. As he was saying this, he got up close to my face and winked in a very flirty manner. I completely froze up. I was afraid of him. It made me feel horrible.”
The latest accusations mirror those of Tristan Coopersmith, who first offered a story of relentless harassment and abuse.
Coopersmith may be getting targeted by Walk’s attorneys, who have repeatedly denied the allegations. In fact, Walk offered this denial to Rolling Stone:
“I did not do these things and this is not who I am. Throughout my career I have always sought to conduct myself professionally and appropriately. It is upsetting to be presented with false claims from long ago that I know to be untrue and were never reported. I support the national discussion taking place right now because I believe fully in the importance in treating everyone with respect and dignity at all times.”
+ Charlie Walk’s Accuser Speaks Out — After Being Branded a Liar
Meanwhile, Walk remains on leave from Universal Music Group. But sources to DMN say his tenure there is now extremely shaky. At least one top executive at Republic is ‘trying to figure out how to fire him,’ according to a source inside the label group, though a lawyered-up Walk could fight back with a lengthy and expensive legal challenge.
Separately, Fox has now scrubbed Walk from their ‘The Four’ website. All of which suggests the executive won’t be returning for season two.
More as this develops.
I bet he was the runner up for Sir Lucian, the KNIGHT music industry SAVIOR position! Now musicians are really screwed up.
Digital medieval will continue for another 670 years.