Jian Ghomeshi, host of Q on CBC, fired.

Cafe Society
#1

Jian Ghomeshi, host of a very popular arts and cultural affairs show on CBC Radio, was abruptly dismissed this past weekend. Those outside of Canada who think his name sounds familiar might remember him from the band Moxy Fruvous, and also the famous interview with Billy Bob Thorton, which got a lot of attention in the States.

CBC news article

Jian has posted his response on his Facebook page, and claims that he was dismissed because a jilted ex-GF was spreading around details of his private sex life, which includes BDSM. Jian claims that it was always safe and consensual and the CBC has no right to fire him, and is in fact going to sue the CBC for $50 million.

Several media outlets claim to have additional details and will be releasing them soon.

Personally, I think Jian is the finest interviewer I’ve ever heard and it will be a blow to the Canadian arts scene if they lose one of the most popular arts focused radio shows in the nation. If indeed CBC is reacting to his private sex life, and there’s no evidence of wrong-doing on Jian’s part, then I hope they get bit by the negative feedback and make amends.

#2

That sucks. I love listening to Q on NPR, and he was a great radio show host and voice. Never even knew he was in a band (and the name of the band rings no bells.)

#3

I have heard Q a couple of times - from the sound of it, he was popular in Canada. He was discussing his father’s illness and death, I believe, and I got the impression that his relationship with his audience was one where they knew about him and his life.

This sounds like a bit of a kerfuffle that will play out for a bit. Sigh.

#4

According to this article from the Toronto Star - http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/26/cbc_fires_jian_ghomeshi_over_sex_allegations.html

it’s at least four women making the accusations. They’re afraid to come forward because the last woman who accused Ghomeshi of something was on the receiving end of an internet hate campaign. He sounds like a nasty piece of work.

#5

What? Not even Once I was the King of Spain or My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors?!

#6

Uh…yeah. I guess I missed that. So they’re kind of like a Canadian They Might Be Giants?

#7

Hm they seem a lot more comparable to Barenaked Ladies than TMBG.

#8

That was the other band I was thinking of. So they’re another Canadian Barenaked Ladies, then? :slight_smile: (I kind of put Barenaked Ladies in the same category of nerd rock as TMBG. YMMV. Looks like I’m not the only one who made the connection. Even “King of Spain” is listed as being misattributed to TMBG.)

#9

Read the link posted to the article in The Star. Okay then - Q is the CBC’s “Flagship Show” -

…and yeah, if he did the things he is accused of doing, he crossed the line from consensual to dirtbag. But it also sounds like his fans may have harassed a previous woman who write obliquely about her encounter with him, and there is fear of more of the same.

Man, this will be ugly.

#10

I first learned about him from the Billy Bob Thornton Incident and was amazed at how calm and professional he remained while Thornton had his narcissistic hissy fit. I’ve since listened to his music and his interviews and regardless of who Fifty Shaded what with whom, he’s great at what he does.

#11

Definitely part of the same milieu; Moxy Früvous even did a cover of TMBG’s Shoehorn With Teeth and (I think) are credited under backup vocals on BNL’s album Gordon.

#12

Agreed. And I have a hard time believing that 4 different women all came up with the same untrue story when approached by the paper.

#13

Having worked once upon a time for the CBC, I certainly have my opinions on how it is run, but I doubt very much, with the awareness of how precarious the financial outlook is, that the powers that be would fire one of their most popular hosts without having their facts straight.

#14

I for whatever reason think of TMBG as being more serious than either Barenaked Ladies or Moxy Fruvous. But I should stop hijacking, sorry! (How’s that for a getting-the-last-word trick?)

#15

Sure, but the facts they have straight may just be “there is going to be a lot of controversy about to happen, and it will cost us money.”

I don’t know what the facts are, I’m just saying that from what seems to be available so far it’s not clear what facts CBC had access to that we don’t, if any.

#16

I think, and I might be wrong, that they would suspend with pay unless they had something. That seems like a pretty safe PR move to me.

#17

Jian was a good enough sport about it to recreate the interview for a web spoof.

#18

Article on the BDSM side of things (may be quite NSFW.)

For what it’s worth, I’m trying to remain neutral on the issue. Though I used to love to listen to Q, I realize I may now have to rethink my opinion on someone I used to like.

#19

The star says "Each of the women accusing Ghomeshi cite the case of Carla Ciccone as a reason why they desire anonymity. Last year Ciccone wrote an article for the website XOJane about a “bad date” with an unidentified, very popular Canadian radio host whom readers speculated to be Ghomeshi. "

You think they all found the same XOJane article (where Ghomeshi isn’t named) and used that as their reasoning, without colluding with each other?

#20

That’s quite possible, yes. These women presumably are all from Toronto, probably in the same social circles, and would quite possibly be aware of the Ciccone article. Hell, maybe Ghomeshi told them about it, for all we know, to try to shut them up. Maybe one knew about it and the other two were made aware of it when they told someone what had happened. Maybe it’s collusion but it’s perfectly possible it is not.