Longtime Universal Studios executive Ron Meyer has left the company following news that he had an affair with a young actress. The woman in question was later revealed by the Hollywood Reporter to be Charlotte Kirk.
Kirk, who played small roles in “Oceans 8” and “How To Be Single,” was involved with Meyer about seven years ago. In his statement, the former executive said that the affair was brief and consensual. Meyer also claimed that he was being extorted by a third party who intended to “falsely implicate NBCUniversal, which had nothing to do with this matter, and to publish false allegations about me.” Following the alleged extortion attempt, Meyer disclosed the relationship to his bosses.
There is no evidence that Meyer helped Kirk’s career, and the actress had not worked on any NBCUniversal projects. Still, NBCUniversal president Jeff Shell said that Meyer had “acted in a manner which we believe is not consistent with our company policies or values.”
Kirk was also romantically involved with former Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara, who was ousted after the affair became public. In that case, Tsujihara helped Kirk’s career. Text messages showed that he had lobbied for Kirk to participate in several Warner Bros. projects.
Known as “Hollywood’s mayor,” Meyer was a big force in the entertainment industry for decades. He cofounded Creative Artists Agency, one of the most high-profile talent agencies in Hollywood, and was the president of Universal Studios for 18 years before being promoted to vice chairman of NBCUniversal in 2013.