A former producer for the syndicated CBS news program “Inside Edition” has sued Paramount Global, claiming he was fired after complaining about repeated antisemitic comments by senior talent.
Joshua Bernstein said Lisa Guerrero, then a correspondent on the program, called him a “whiny Jew,” “spoiled Jew,” and an “old Jewish woman” and asked how he could have married a Muslim woman or worked for a “terrorist network” like Al Jazeera.
She also called him homophobic slurs and made “countless other racist and offensive comments” about interview subjects and coworkers, Bernstein claimed in the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month.
A publicist for Guerrero, who left “Inside Edition” over the summer, shared a statement from CBS Media Ventures that referred to Bernstein’s claims as unsubstantiated.
Bernstein also claimed that Charles Lachman, the show’s executive producer, was known as a “total homophobe” and showed bias against Black people and Muslims. According to Bernstein’s lawsuit, after Bernstein showed footage of an interview with a female graduate student wearing a hijab, Lachman said, “Absolutely not! It looks like she’s about to set off a bomb.”
“On another occasion, plaintiff witnessed Mr. Lachman screaming at a female producer stating ‘No! No! No! I don’t want to see fat and ugly Kelly Clarkson! I want to see Kelly Clarkson in a short skirt!'” lawyers for Bernstein wrote in the complaint.
A representative for CBS Media Ventures, the Paramount Global unit that syndicates “Inside Edition” and other shows like “Jeopardy!,” denied Bernstein’s claims.
“We are committed to a safe and respectful workplace for all,” Paramount spokesperson Allison McLarty wrote in an email. “After receiving the initial claim letter, outside counsel immediately conducted an investigation, which found no evidence to support these allegations. We will address the matter in court and are committed to vigorously defending against any fabricated claims.”
“Inside Edition” is a tabloid-style syndicated news program that has been running since 1989, focusing on true crime and celebrity coverage, and is a top ratings-getter for CBS Media Ventures, with more than 3 million weekly viewers, according to Nielsen.
CBS Media Ventures is distinct from CBS News, where Bari Weiss was recently named editor-in-chief.
Lachman has been its executive producer since the late 1990s, and longtime anchor Deborah Norville left the program last year, replaced by Eva Pilgrim. Bernstein’s complaint said he worked there starting in 2019, that he had a medical episode in 2023, and that he was fired about a year later while on leave.
Bernstein’s lawsuit also claims “Inside Edition” engaged in “deliberate news distortion,” including by rigging devices to burn and explode so that segments about fireworks, e-bike batteries, and gas grills made those devices appear more dangerous than they were. He claimed that after he learned an e-bike battery had been rigged to explode, senior investigative producer Charlie McLravy told him to “keep [his] mouth shut and don’t say anything to the lawyers.”
Lachman and McLravy didn’t reply to comment requests.
