Les Moonves, the chairman, president, and CEO of CBS Corporation (CBS  ) has been accused of sexual misconduct by six women at the company. Moonves, 68, has held senior roles at CBS for more than three decades and has been CEO since 2006. He also led the transformation of CBS into the most-watched channel with hit shows such as "The Big Bang Theory" and "Survivor."

The alleged incidents began in the 1980s and continued into he late 2000s. The women did not come forward earlier because they were afraid of retaliation. Of the six accusers, four agreed to disclose their names in the record: Ileana Douglas, an Emmy Award-winning actress; screenwriter Janet Jones; producer Christine Peter, and screenwriter Dinah Kirgo. The other two anonymous accusers were described only as a popular actress on a long-running CBS program and a former child star.

They all shared stories of unwanted advances made by Moonves, including forced kissing, and threats after rebuffing his advances. Moonves acknowledges that he tried to kiss Douglas in 1996, but denied any sexual assault, intimidation, or retaliatory action. Regarding the other allegations, Moonves denied them outright or said that he had no recollection. Moonves defended himself in a statement: "Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our company. I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected-and abided by the principle - that 'no' means 'no,' and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone's career. This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution."

CBS issued a statement that it is currently investigating these claims: "All allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously. The Independent Directors of CBS have committed to investigating claims that violate the Company's clear policies in that regard." At least two of fourteen board members have questioned whether Moonves should continue to run the company while the investigation is occurring.

This investigation is not the only reason that Mr. Moonves' role is in jeopardy. He is also currently in a separate legal battle with Shari Redstone, the leader of CBS's parent company, National Amusements - a private company based in Massachusetts. Mr. Moonves and the CBS Board sued Redstone because she attempted to merge the network with Viacom, also a subsidiary of the parent company. The issue will go on trial in October; if Moonves loses, he may well end up leaving the company. In a statement, the independent directors of the CBS Board allege that the allegations were made public published in an attempt to further hinder Moonves' chances of winning the case. Redstone, however, denied that she has any connection to the published article.