CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble, who was behind the ouster of NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell for having an "inappropriate relationship" with him, was reportedly also having an affair with a married Texas equity tycoon. Shell resigned from his post at the company after an internal investigation into his conduct was launched around a month ago.
The equity tycoon treated Gamble to a luxurious, jet-setting lifestyle, which she enjoyed. NBC Universal didn't say who made the complaint against Shell, but according to media reports, Gamble was the one who filed the complaint after an on-off relationship between the pair, which ended a few years ago.
Multiple Secret Affairs
Gamble, who was in an "inappropriate relationship" with Shell for more than a decade until 2019, was also dating David Bonderman, the 80-year-old chairman of private equity firm TPG and billionaire co-owner of the NHL's Seattle Kraken, according to a whistleblower complaint reviewed by The New York Post.
The whistleblower complaint was filed by a former TPG executive against Bonderman in 2015, which claimed Gamble as a 'female companion' who frequently flew on the company's private plane, thus exposing the relationship.
"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," former TPG executive Adam Levine alleged in his complaint filed with the SEC on March 2, 2015.
"Mr. Bonderman is rumored to pay most, if not all, of the living expenses for these women, and often brings them with him on business trips," according to the complaint.
"Ms. Gamble, especially, is known to fly with him regularly on TPG's planes."
Levine's complaint, which charged TPG with breaking securities law, never specifically mentioned Gamble. The company reached a $13 million settlement in 2017 without admitting any wrongdoing.
Gamble's lawyer told the Post, "who a woman may or may not have dated in the past is relevant to her claims of sexual harassment and discrimination."
On Sunday, it was revealed that Shell had resigned from the company's top position as a result of Gamble, 41, accusing him of sexual harassment and the subsequent opening of an investigation into his conduct.
Rubbing Shoulders with the Elite
Shell, who is married to Laura Fay Shell, admitted to having an "inappropriate relationship" with a staff member, which he claimed he "deeply regret[s]." NBCUniversal's parent company Comcast didn't mention the name of the complainant but media reports claimed the woman to be Gamble.
Later, in a statement, Gamble's attorneys stated that she was the woman having an "inappropriate relationship" with Shell.
"The investigation into Mr Shell arose from a complaint by my client of sexual harassment and sex discrimination,' said Suzanne McKie, a managing partner of Farore Law, a UK-based firm.
"Given these circumstances it is very disappointing that my client's name has been released and her privacy violated."
On Tuesday, Bonderman's name emerged, revealing more about Gamble and her liaisons. Insiders claim that the accusations are consistent with Gamble's on-air persona.
Some have pointed out that Gamble garnered international attention two years ago for interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin while donning a tight black dress at a business convention in Moscow.
Before they took the stage, Putin was seen on camera making flirtatious looks with Gamble. He later said that she was "too beautiful" to understand any of his responses, according to The Hill.
"She'll be interviewing someone with a Louboutin [high-heeled shoe] dangling from her toe," a source told The Post.
Gamble was accused by Russian state media of posing "as a sex object" during the interview in October 2021 to distract Putin, implying the seasoned journalist was involved in a US "special operation."
TGP oversees $135 billion in assets and has held stakes in businesses ranging from J. Crew to the influential Hollywood talent agency that once represented Gamble.
Gamble was the last journalist from a Western country to speak with Vladimir Putin in October 2021 prior to the conflict in Ukraine.
"Hadley is a passionate advocate for women in the workplace and their advancement around the world. She moderated the first ever women's business forum in Saudi Arabia and provided exclusive content to CNBC as the Kingdom lifted its decades-old driving ban," her bio on CNBC's website reads.
She covered Florida's gubernatorial race as a stringer for the Associated Press and Reuters after graduating from the University of Miami in 2003.
She was hired at the age of 22 to work as a production assistant for ABC's "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings." Gamble was next hired by CNBC in 2010 as a reporter and anchor, a position she held for five years.
She was named senior foreign correspondent from CNBC in 2018. Presently, she is the host of "Capital Connections," a business channel show that airs in the Middle East.
