Kevin Tsujihara has recently announced his exit as the current CEO and Chairman of Warner Bros., a job he's been in for 6 years.
Per a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter by current WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey, " It is in the best interest of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros., our employees and our partners for Kevin to step down as Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros."
At the moment, the company still haven't named a replacement for Tsujihara. However, Stankey added, "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."
Back on March 6, a Hollywood Reporter article revealed apparent text messages between the senior executive and Charlotte Kirk, an actress who, per the messages, would be given auditions by Tsujihara amid a supposed romantic relationship between the two of them. So far, the actress has already appeared in two films produced by Warner Bros., 2016's How to be single and 2018's Ocean 8.
However, Tsujihara's personal attorney stated that the executive had no direct role in the hiring of the actress. Despite this, a law firm outside continues to investigate these claims.
In a separate memo sent to staff at Warner, Tsujihara also stated that he decided to step down after reflecting "on how the attention on my past actions might impact the company's future." He also added, "It has become clear that my continued leadership could be a distraction and an obstacle to the company's continued success. The hard work of everyone within our organization is truly admirable, and I won't let media attention on my past detract from all the great work the team is doing."
The executive's exit came just two weeks after he had been given additional responsibilities at the company as part of Warner Bros.'s reorganization following its AT&T acquisition. Tsujihara was also put in charge of Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, Turner Classic Movies, Ottie Media, and Warner Media's licensed consumer products division.
Tsujihara first joined Warners in 1994 as director of special projects, finance, to assist in the management of the company's interest in Six Flags. Across his nearly two decades with the company, he has been an executive VP corporate business development and strategy at Warner Bros. Entertainment and executive VP new media.
