Former BET CEO Debra Lee Reveals Affair with BET Founder Bob Johnson

Love in the workplace is never good.

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Mar 7, 2023 - 13:44
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Former BET CEO Debra Lee Reveals Affair with BET Founder Bob Johnson

During a press tour for her upcoming memoir, I Am Debra Lee, the former BET CEO let readers in on her personal relationships – some, maybe, too personal.

While talking to Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts, Lee opened up about the affair she had with BET founder, Robert Johnson, in a now-viral Twitter clip. “Well I wanted to tell that story because the power dynamics are so important in a relationship, especially if you have a relationship with someone you work for,” Lee said. “And we all know the potential pitfalls.”

Lee talked about working for Johnson for 10 years before having a romantic relationship. She described him as “a mentor who pushed her” and being responsible for a lot of her success. The 68-year-old then admitted to the affair happening while both she and Johnson were married. “The company knew and we started going places together,” Lee said. “The downfall of a relationship like that is when you want to get out of it.” Lee claimed that once she wanted to end things with the media mogul, her job and career were threatened.

The former executive dropped a bomb explaining how the affair happened 20 years into her career, and how she felt she would have lost everything. Lee admitted, as a single mother at the time, she didn’t have many people to confide in and was embarrassed. “It was a dark time and what saved me was therapy. And eventually Bob left the company and I became CEO,” Lee said. “I was able to live my dream without any form of harassment. After Me Too and Times Up, I wanted women to know there’s other kinds of harassment.”

The new book details other incidents she dealt with in her career. According to People, Lee had to tell Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, “no” after she demanded lavish things for a tribute, like “a full winter wardrobe” and a diamond Harry Winston watch – worth $50,000. She also reminisced about telling Oprah Winfrey “no” after the billionaire allegedly wanted to buy ad slots on BET to promote her cable network, OWN, a competitor to the network.

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