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From Page Six of The New York Post: Rumors Are Swirling That Longtime BET CEO Debra Lee Could Leave the Company Soon

May 11, 2017  •  Post A Comment

Viacom appears to be restructuring its cable channel BET, and rumors have begun to circulate that longtime CEO Debra Lee won’t be sticking around.

The New York Post’s Page Six quotes an inside source saying: “Viacom has a plan to phase her out after the BET Awards [on June 25]. She was planning to leave the network in November if Hillary Clinton had won the election.”

The source added that Lee was expecting a position in the Clinton administration.

As we reported Wednesday, BET is shutting down its headquarters of 37 years in Washington, D.C., and relocating to New York. Lee is moving to Los Angeles, and has reportedly put her D.C. house on the market, with a listing price in the $11.5 million-$13.5 million ballpark.

But an insider at Viacom told The Post that Lee’s not leaving the company. The report quotes the insider saying: “Her contract was recently extended, and Viacom is not restructuring BET. Closing the DC office is a part of a transition that’s been occurring for a long time. Everyone understands the move. They’re not surprising anyone.”

BET wasn’t commenting, with a rep telling the publication that the network doesn’t comment on “rumors and personnel matters.”

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