Jeff Shell is no longer the CEO of NBCUniversal.
According to a joint statement, Comcast -- the parent company of NBCUniversal -- and Shell mutually agreed that the executive would depart effective immediately after an outside investigation found he had an "inappropriate relationship" with a female employee.
Comcast announced the news on Sunday afternoon, less than a week before it is set to report quarterly results.
For his part, Shell apologized for his behavior.
"Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret," Shell said in the statement. "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 statement did not name the staffer involved or offer any details about the investigation. However, a person familiar with the matter told CNN the staffer involved in the relationship recently filed a complaint.
According to a Deadline report, the employee involved is CNBC anchor and senior international correspondent Hadley Gamble. The relationship reportedly started 11 years ago and continued "sporadically up until a couple years ago when it ended," per Deadline.
In a memo sent to employees, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said they were "disappointed to share this news with you," according to NBC News.
"We built this company on a culture of integrity," the memo said, per NBC. "Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace. When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here."
The memo went on to say that Cavanagh would be assuming Shell's duties for the time being.
"Please know that NBCUniversal is performing extremely well operationally and financially, and we couldn't be more enthusiastic about our position and prospects going forward," the memo said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "We are fortunate to have an experienced, world-class group of executives leading this incredible company."
Shell had been CEO of NBCUniversal since January 2020 after working as chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment.
As CEO, Shell oversaw the company's news and entertainment television networks, a premiere motion picture company, significant television and sports production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks and a premium ad-supported streaming service, according to his profile on the company website, which has since been removed.
He also previously worked as president of Comcast Programming Group and Fox Cable Networks Group.
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