More than four years after his abrupt resignation amid a sexual harassment scandal, former Amazon Studios chief Roy Price publicly remarked on the damning expose that forced his ouster.

As Price sees it, his exile has more to do with timing than anything else. 

Speaking to Bloomberg for a podcast detailing the rise of Amazon Studios and the broader Amazon Prime Video empire, Price seemed to indicate that the gravity of his career crisis was influenced by its proximity to the zeitgeist-shifting Harvey Weinstein scandal. 

Writer Kim Masters' expose on Price's ill-fated 2015 interaction with producer Isa Hackett was published on October 12, 2017, the same week that the New York Times and New Yorker published separate stories that not only destroyed the career of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and led to his criminal prosecution and imprisonment, but also spawned the global #MeToo movement.

Amazon's investigation of the 2015 Price-Hackett event, which was reported immediately to Amazon higher-ups by Hackett and originally detailed in an August 2017 report in The Information, came to an indefinite conclusion. However, Price said the timing of Masters' THR report -- which came out two months later, right as the Weinstein reports hit -- was too much for the seminal Amazon video executive to overcome.

"That was not a good week to have a bad article," said Price, 55, who has not worked since leaving Amazon. 

Certainly for Price, timing couldn't have been everything. 

Hackett, the married executive producer of Amazon original series Man in a High Castle, claimed Price made unwanted and lewd overtures to her in an Uber ride to a 2015 pilot screening event at ComicCon in San Diego. 

Commenting publicly for one of the few times since his departure, Price doesn't dispute the interaction occurred, but claims he wasn't coming onto the producer, merely engaging in a self-deprecating joke that was misunderstood. 

"It was obviously unfortunate and unintended," Price told Bloomberg, conceding there was "banter in the Uber" amid the "very short" 1 a.m. ride that also included another Amazon employee. 

"I deeply apologize if the banter was overboard," Price added. "Everyone has the right to define their own line of humor..."

The son of Frank Price, who served as chairman of Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures, the Hackett event wasn't the only socially awkward, sexually charged moment tied to Price during his 13-year tenure as Amazon's first video exec. 

Price hasn't given many interviews since his departure. But in November 2020, he told the Los Angeles Times that he wasn't looking to "elicit sympathy," but he doesn't think his #MeToo transgressions rise to the level of Weinstein, comedian Louis C.K. and former Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly. 

”I just didn’t believe that, like, a false, vicious, totally contrary-to-fact narrative like that could be articulated, that it could actually be accepted and impact your reputation and all of your friends and family,” Price told the L.A. Times. “It just seemed like such a bizarre set of circumstances out of some Russian novel.”

The L.A. Times also spoke to unnamed Amazon co-workers who said the "punishment didn't fit the crime," and who also implied that Price's firing was influenced by "internal and external pressures" occurring at Amazon in 2017.

Masters' report detailed broader cultural issues under Price. And there was plenty fo circumstantial smoke tied to his Amazon exit. Not only did Amazon Studios under the former top executive's watch sign a multiyear deal with another noted #MeToo transgressor, Woody Allen, two of the biggest stars for two of Amazon Studios' seminal hits, Casey Affleck (Oscar contender Manchester By the Sea) and Jeffrey Tambor (original series Transparent), ended up under on-set sexual harassment scrutiny, as well. 

However, as Bloomberg noted, at the time of Price's ouster, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos -- enthralled and absorbed by the Hollywood industry he'd originally sought to disrupt and unseat -- was putting Price under pressure, seeking to broaden the reach of Amazon Studios beyond niche, artist-driven shows like Transparent into globally impactful hits. 

"Over time, your audience gets bigger as your service grows around the world. And you really need some tentpole shows," Price told Bloomberg. "So you've got to have, whatever it is, your Game of Thrones." 

Bezos even told Price at a meeting, "Bring me my Game of Thrones." ■

NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke will take over as head of Amazon Studios, the streaming service said Friday.

Salke, who served as head of the network’s entertainment division since 2011, will take over operations of the burgeoning streaming service four months after former Amazon Studios head Roy Price resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.

Salke, who while at NBC was responsible for overseeing more than 25 scripted series, including Emmy Award-winning This Is Us as well as The Blacklist and The Good Place, will inherit a burgeoning studio that’s developed several high-profile original shows, including Emmy-winning series Transparent and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which recently picked up Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards for best comedy series.

Amazon COO Albert Cheng, who served as interim head of the studio, said in a tweet Friday that he’s looking forward to Amazon’s “awesome future” under Salke.

Warm welcome to Jennifer Salke as our new Head of Amazon Studios! It has been an honor and privilege to have served as interim head to a great team. Looking forward to this team's awesome future! https://t.co/l368YMLji8 via @thr

— Albert Cheng (@albert_cheng) February 9, 2018

Prior to naming Salke, Amazon reportedly had reached out to other industry executives, including A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc.

Following a report that comedian Louis C.K. had behaved improperly with a number of women, FX Networks, which has produced five shows with him, said it had received no allegations against him in the eight years they have worked together.

In a story posted online Thursday (Nov. 9) by The New York Times, five women accused Louis C.K. of sexual misconduct. Before the story was published, a premiere of his movie I Love You, Daddy was canceled and an appearance on CBS's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on was postponed.

Afterward, HBO pulled Luckie Louie, a series Louis C.K. starred in, and his comedy specials from its video on demand service. He was also dropped from a live special, Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism, set to air Nov. 18

The accusations come at a time when charges of sexual harassment in the entertainment business are being levied at top executives, agents and actors. The wave began with accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein and has led to the departure of Amazon Studios chief Roy Price and the firing of Kevin Spacey from Netflix’s House of Cards.

Related: Weinstein TV Production Business Shaken Amid Harassment Scandal

FX, which airs Louis C.K.’s series Louie, issued a statement after the NYT story broke. It said: “We are obviously very troubled by the allegations about Louis C.K. published in The New York Times today. The network has received no allegations of misconduct by Louis C.K. related to any of our five shows produced together over the past eight years. FX Networks and FXP take all necessary actions to protect our employees and thoroughly investigate any allegations of misconduct within our workplace. That said, the matter is currently under review.”

There were no signs that FX had severed ties with Louis C.K., and the network would not comment beyond the statement.

Louis C.K. and his spokeman have declined to comment.

FX is part of 21st Century Fox, which also owns Fox News Channel.

Fox News chair Roger Ailes was removed from his post last year after allegations of sexual harassment. The company also took top-rated host Bill O’Reilly off the air after reports that he paid several women to settle harassment charges.

Related: James Murdoch Says Fox Sent Strong Signal With Ailes, O'Reilly Dismissals

21st Century Fox is reportedly under investigation for not properly reporting those payments to women.

An Amazon Studios TV project produced by The Weinstein Co., from David O. Russell and starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore, will not continue in light of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment imbroglio.

The project did not have a title and had not begun production. A statement from Russell, De Niro and Moore said the pricey series would not move forward elsewhere.

Related: Weinstein TV Production Business Shaken Amid Harassment Scandal

“We support Amazon’s decision as, in light of recent news and out of respect for all those affected, we have decided together that it is best to not move forward with this show,” the three said in the joint statement.

Weinstein was fired last week and, over the weekend, was ousted from the Motion Pictures Academy of Arts and Sciences. Separately, Amazon Studios chief Roy Price was suspended indefinitely last week over a sexual harassment allegation.

Not much is known about the Russell project, a drama. Amazon reportedly had signed on for two seasons at $160 million.

Amazon is moving forward with another Weinstein Co. TV project, The Romanoffs, without the involvement of Harvey Weinstein. Matthew Weiner is behind that drama.

Weinstein was cofounder of The Weinstein Co., with his brother Bob, and had served as co-chairman.

Amazon Studios head Roy Price was put a leave of absence after the producer of one of Amazon Prime's best-known shows accused him of sexually harassing her.

Amazon Studios's COO, Albert Cheng, was named interim chief.

Isa Hackett, executive producer of Man in the High Castle, based on her father Philip K. Dick’s book, said Amazon Studios chief Price asked her to attend an Amazon staff party and repeatedly and insistently propositioned her, according to an interview in The Hollywood Reporter.

The allegations come after Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was fired because of his sexual harassment of many actresses and other women over the years. Those activities had been largely hushed up until stories broke last week in The New York Times and The New Yorker.

Related: Weinstein TV Production Business Shaken Amid Harassment Scandal

Hackett told THR she went public partly because she was inspired by the women who had the courage to come forward to accuse Weinstein, a powerful show business executive who threatened to ruin people’s careers.

Related: WGAE: Sexual Harassment Is 'Hallmark' of Industry

Hackett said she reported Price’s behavior to Amazon executives immediately, and an outside investigator was brought in to talk to her and Amazon executives. After that, she didn’t see Price at any events involving Man in the High Castle and another show she’s producing for Amazon, anthology series Electric Dreams.

When the accusations first arose, Amazon told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: “We take seriously any questions about the conduct of our employees. We expect people to set high standards for themselves; we encourage people to raise any concerns, and we make it a priority to investigate and address them. Accordingly, we looked closely at this specific concern and addressed it directly with those involved."

Price declined to comment, according to the paper.

Under Price, Amazon has been building up the video content available to Amazon Prime members, becoming a stronger competitor to Netflix and Hulu.