A former anchor at KCBS and KCAL television stations has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against CBS, alleging that he was illegally fired from his position because he was an “older, white, heterosexual male.”
Jeff Vaughn, 58, an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster with 30 years of experience in the industry, filed the lawsuit July 1 in the Central District of California. He is represented by America First Legal (AFL), whose president, Stephen Miller, was a senior advisor in the Trump administration.
The lawsuit represents AFL’s third legal action against the entertainment industry for racial bias against white people. The nonprofit group has also filed lawsuits against Meta Platforms, the Association of Independent Producers and CBS / Paramount Global alleging discrimination based on age, race and gender.
"The discrimination alleged on behalf of our client is not isolated,” AFL Executive Director Gene Hamilton told the Southern California Record in an email. “Hollywood and the entertainment industry, in general, are the locus of pervasive, insidious discrimination that emanates across the country and touches the lives of substantial numbers of Americans.”
Hamilton said AFL would stand behind Vaughn in his quest to vindicate his rights under federal laws. The lawsuit argues that the defendants, CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Paramount Global, violated his civil rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
“No American should face discrimination because of how they were born, and we will fight to vindicate the civil rights of individuals in the entertainment industry and elsewhere across the United States,” he said.
In May 2022, after working as a CBS journalist for seven years at Los Angeles-area stations, Vaughn was told by management that he would be terminated in six months and that his termination was “not about ratings,” according to the complaint.
“CBS executives, through a series of public statements, said the quiet part out loud,” the lawsuit states. “On April 23, 2019, (a) former CBS executive, Whitney Davis, penned an article which claimed that CBS had a ‘white problem.’”
The complaint says CBS news decided to put in place a hiring and retention policy based on age, race, sexual orientation and gender, according to the lawsuit.
“Mr. Vaughn lost his job because he did not fit any of the desired diversity categories,” the complaint states. “Defendants have discriminated against Mr. Vaughn in violation of his constitutional and civil rights.”
Vaughn was further humiliated by management by being barred from certain CBS projects and activities in 2021 and 2022, including participation in a 20th anniversary special on the 9/11 attacks and events such as Fourth of July ceremonies and the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl victory parade.
“Chauncey Glover, a young African American male, who checked CBS’s ‘diversity’ boxes, replaced Mr. Vaughn, though he had minimal experience,” the lawsuit says.
Vaughn is seeking a judgment from the court that his civil rights were violated, a permanent injunction barring defendants from violating nondiscrimination laws, an offer of full-time employment as a main anchor, compensatory damages exceeding $5 million, punitive damages, lost pay and benefits, and reimbursement of attorney fees.
CBS officials did not respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit.