‘Magnum P.I.,’ ‘MacGyver’ Showrunner Peter Lenkov Fired Over Toxic Work Environment Claims
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Peter Lenkov’s relationship with CBS has been terminated due to accusations the producer and showrunner created a toxic work environment on his sets, Variety has confirmed.
Lenkov developed and was the showrunner on the CBS revivals of “Magnum P.I.” and “MacGyver,” but has now been fired from those shows. In addition, his overall deal with CBS Television Studios has been ended. Lenkov was previously the showrunner on the CBS revival of “Hawaii Five-O,” which ended earlier this year.
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“Peter Lenkov is no longer the executive producer overseeing MacGyver and Magnum P.I., and the studio has ended its relationship with him,” a CBS TV Studios spokesperson said. “Monica Macer will be the showrunner on MacGyver and Eric Guggenheim will run Magnum P.I. Both are currently executive producers on their respective series. Our studio is committed to ensuring safe and respectful production environments. Over the past year, we have assigned human resource production partners to every show, expanded staff training and increased reporting options. We will continue to evolve our practices with continued focus on building trust with all who work on our sets. Every complaint is taken seriously, every claim is investigated, and when evidence is clear that policies were violated and values not upheld, we take decisive action.”
The investigation into Lenkov’s behavior is said to have just concluded recently. Multiple sources who spoke with Variety said that Lenkov was known to be misogynistic and to make crude jokes on set. He is also said to have a “boys club” with whom he would regularly gather to smoke cigars and judge women’s appearances. Sources also allege his abusive behavior pre-dated his work on the CBS revivals and was also prevalent during his time on “CSI: NY.” In one incident described to Variety, Lenkov had gathered several writers in his office and circulated a New York Magazine story from 2007 about women being a “depreciating asset” and expected the women present to laugh. During his time at “CSI: NY,” when Lenkov once got a note he didn’t like from a CBS executive, he joked that the writer who was dating the executive wasn’t doing her job in bed because the executive was cranky, according to one source.
“Women were definitely second-class citizens, as far as he was concerned,” says one insider. “I drank myself to sleep for a month because of him.”
Lenkov responded to his termination in a statement, which reads: “Now is the time to listen and I am listening. It’s difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better.”
Lenkov is now the latest producer or executive at CBS to be terminated in recent years due to allegations of misconduct. Perhaps most famously, longtime CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves exited the company amid multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment in 2018. Other examples include “NCIS: New Orleans” producer Brad Kern, who was fired from that show due to allegations of racist comments and verbal harassment of women. Longtime “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager was also terminated, with CBS saying Fager had “violated company policy.” Fager was accused of ignoring allegations of harassment and abuse during his time at CBS News.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported Lenkov’s termination.
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