- The managing director, Chris Knowles, has been accused by women of sexual harassment
- Employees claim his behavior is treated like an “open secret” on the network
- Newsmax denies any allegations against its vice president of programming
Newsmax vice president of programming Chris Knowles has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, according to a new bombshell report.
Several employees told Mediaite they had seen him sexually harassing employees and claimed it was an “open secret” at the network that he was a predator.
“Knowles has been known to prey on the youngest female employees, even those who report directly to him,” a Newsmax producer said.
One employee told the outlet she was a victim of his harassment, and two others claimed they personally observed Knowles’ behavior.
“As a female employee, I was harassed by Knowles. That doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s a men’s club. They’ve known about this guy for a long time. “It hasn’t stopped him from doing what he’s doing with the new girls,” a Newsmax employee said.
Newsmax vice president of programming Chris Knowles has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. Some employees claimed that the married Knowles (pictured is his wife Anastasia Trainor Knowles) had been having a consensual affair with a female employee
Newsmax employees say they witnessed Knowles sexually harassing other workers
Knowles started as an executive producer at Newsmax in 2019 and was promoted to his current position as vice president of programming in 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The network describes itself as “an independent news network with a conservative perspective.”
An estimate from Indeed puts the annual salary for a vice president position at Newsmax at about $203,492, based on three employees, users, and past and current job postings on the site
He previously worked as an executive producer at Regional News Network and WPIX-TV.
Earlier in his career, the executive also held various positions as a meteorologist, producer and reporter at Fox News, WPIX-TV, CNN and The Blaze.
Knowles (right) with his wife. Employees alleged that Knowles had a consensual affair with a female employee
Newsmax denies any allegations against its vice president of programming
Sources told Mediaite that, among other things, Knowles distributed photos of a subordinate’s cleavage around the office without her knowledge and that he once asked another woman to remove her leather skirt.
Four sources told the outlet that he was told to correct his behavior but faced no consequences.
Other employees alleged that Knowles, who is married to Anastasia Trainor Knowles, had a consensual affair with a co-worker.
A Newsmax producer said, “Knowles isn’t particularly good at hiding his tracks.” I’ve seen him many times in the regular bars, interacting with female employees after nightly newscasts.
“It’s not new.” This has been going on for a long time. Only the girls change when they leave. “Christopher Knowles remains the constant.”
Knowles claimed to have circulated photos of a subordinate’s cleavage around the office without her knowledge
Newsmax has denied any claims of sexual harassment by its vice president of programming.
However, one producer said: “I know for a fact that there have been several human resources complaints against Knowles for sexual harassment.” “I’m shocked that they would say otherwise.”
A spokesperson for the network said: “Newsmax has never received a single complaint that Mr. Knowles engaged in sexually inappropriate activity with any employee, whether formal or informal.” And to our knowledge, we do not believe that the comments he alleged constitute sexual harassment.”