Legendary Television president Chris Albrecht has been positioned on a depart of absence by the corporate, a spokesperson for Legendary confirmed to Variety Monday. No official cause for the exec’s depart of absence was supplied.
Albrecht has been benched simply as an upcoming guide, “It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution and Future of HBO” by Felix Gillette and John Koblin, affords particulars on the manager’s lengthy tenure at HBO, together with a 1991 incident during which Albrecht allegedly choked Sasha Emerson, a former HBO govt VP. Albrecht denies the allegations as detailed within the guide. On Monday, a spokesman for Albrecht reiterated his denial of the account.
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The guide, set for launch on Nov. 1, alleges that Albrecht lunged at and strangled Emerson. At the time each executives have been married and had allegedly been concerned in an affair that had since ended. Emerson later engaged outdoors counsel and a mediation was held in Los Angeles, based on the guide.
In the guide, Albrecht states that he “rejects and disagrees with the characterization of what occurred” within the 1991 incident. He is believed to be on paid depart from Legendary.
In a press release to Variety Monday night, Albrecht described the allegations as an “old, flawed story” being “refurbished and recycled for the sake of sales.
“I have sincerely apologized to those whom I offended with disrespect and unacceptable behavior,” Albrecht said. “But that doesn’t sell books or generate media attention. Some things do indeed age well; but bad reporting does not.”
The guide particulars the alleged assault on Emerson and the lengths that HBO’s senior executives on the time went to maintain the incident quiet. The guide additionally describes Emerson’s skilled struggles in leisure after leaving HBO with a confidential settlement as rumors unfold. She finally turned a profitable inside designer. More just lately Emerson come again into leisure as a marketing consultant to AMC Networks as properly as mentoring playwrights, actors, writers and administrators, based on the guide.
Albrecht had a storied 20-year run at HBO, overseeing the expansion of the unique content material for the trailblazing premium cabler with such influential hits as “The Sorpranos,” “Sex and the City,” “Six Feet Under” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” But he was compelled to resign as chairman-CEO underneath a cloud in May 2007 following a public altercation together with his then-girlfriend at a cable business convention in Las Vegas. He confronted elevated strain to resign after the Los Angeles Times reported on the alleged 1991 altercation with Emerson.
Before becoming a member of Legendary in 2019, Albrecht had served a 10-year tenure as the chief of pay cabler Starz.
The Hollywood Reporter was first to report information of Albrecht’s administrative depart.
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