David Bonderman: CNBC’s Hadley Gamble had affair with married tycoon before accusing fired CEO Jeff Shell of sexual harassment
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Famed CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble, who accused ex-NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell of sexual harassment that led to his departure from the network after rumors of an "inappropriate relationship" between the pair surfaced this week, was also in a romantic relationship with a married Texas equity tycoon. When Gamble, 41, was involved with Shell, 57, she was also dating David Bonderman, 80, the TPG chairman and billionaire co-owner of the NHL's Seattle Kraken.
Gamble and Bonderman's relationship was exposed in a whistleblower complaint against the latter at TPG in 2015. The complaint alleged that Bonderman regularly had "female companions" on the firm's private jet and that Gamble was one of them. While former TPG exec Adam Levine's complaint accused the company of violating securities law and resulted in a settlement of $13 million in 2017, the CNBC anchor was never the main subject of the complaint.
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Who is David Bonderman?
Bonderman is the founding partner and chairman of TPG. He is a married father of five who holds the position of co-founder and co-majority owner of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League, in addition to being one of the minority owners of the NBA's Boston Celtics. "TPG's founder, David Bonderman, is known within the company to have regular female companions on which he lavishes gifts or to whom he otherwise provides benefits," Levine said in a complaint filed with the SEC on March 2, 2015, according to the New York Post.
"Ms Gamble, especially, is known to fly with him regularly on TPG's planes," Levine said, adding that he believed Bonderman paid most, if not all, of the living expenses for Gamble and his other girlfriends. "Who a woman may or may not have dated in the past is relevant to her claims of sexual harassment and discrimination," Gamble's lawyer told the source.
Jeff Shell's final statement after his termination
On Sunday, April 23, 2023, Shell resigned from his position as CEO of NBCUniversal after an investigation was launched into allegations of sexual harassment made by Gamble. The pair allegedly began a tryst "11 years ago and [it] continued sporadically up until a couple of years ago when it ended," reported the source. Shell, who is married to Laura Fay Shell, admitted he had had an "inappropriate relationship" with a member of staff, which he said he "deeply regret[s]."
The statement read, "Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret. I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down. They are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 10 years has been a privilege." Subsequently, Gamble's lawyers released a statement confirming that she was the woman involved in an "inappropriate relationship" with Shell.
