Jeff Shell is leaving as chief executive of NBCUniversal after an investigation into alleged inappropriate conduct, parent company Comcast said on Sunday.

Shell, who has served as the top executive of the media network since January 2020, said in a statement provided by Comcast that he “had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company”. Comcast said his dismissal comes after an investigation led by outside counsel.

The departure of Shell follows other high-profile dismissals at NBC, one of the leading US news and entertainment networks. In 2020, Universal vice-chair Ron Meyer was fired after confessing to making a settlement with a woman over a consensual affair. Matt Lauer, once the face of US morning news staple the Today show, was fired in 2017 after claims of inappropriate sexual behaviour with staffers.

More to follow, this is a developing story.