What Happened to Charlie Walk? ‘The Four’ Judge Who Resigned After Sexual Harassment Scandal
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Charlie Walk was a huge name in music when he judged the 2018 series, The Four: Battle For Stardom. The recording company president abruptly left the series midseason due to sexual misconduct allegations. Where is he now in 2022?
Who is Charlie Walk?
For those that don’t know, Walk was a huge name in the music industry before the FOX series. He began working at Columbia records in 1990 as a marketing and promotion manager and only went up from there. Later at Columbia Records, he became vice president for promotion at the label. He gained credits for working with artists like Destiny’s Child, Will Smith, John Legend, Mariah Carey, and more. He went up the ranks (all the way to executive vice president of creative marketing and promotion) at Columbia before joining Epic Records as their president.
In 2005 he began working as the president of Epic Records. From there he created his own entertainment company JWALK and eventually moved on to Republic Records in 2013. By 2016, Walk was named the president of Republic Group, which had been formed underneath Universal Music Group.
On January 29, 2018, Walk was accused of sexual misconduct. At the time, he was the active president of Republic Music Group. Two days later, he was placed on leave by Republic Music Group as an investigation launched. In early February he withdrew from the new series The Four: Battle for Stardom. The series had premiered on January 4, so he withdrew prior to the first season finale.
When Walk left the series, he expressed that he was leaving out of respect to the contestants and judges. He didn’t want his involvement to be a distraction to viewers. At the time, he called the allegations very upsetting.
What Happened After He Resigned From The Four: Battle to Stardom Judging Panel?
After leaving the series, five more women stepped forward and accused Walk further of sexual misconduct. The women’s stories took place over a period of decades, all reports were in Rolling Stone Magazine. The next month, Walk and Universal mutually agreed to part ways after an internal investigation.
Late 2018 reports state that Walk was once again working in the music industry as a radio strategy consultant. UnitedMasters’ owner Steve Stoute confirmed Walks position in the business. Stoute shared that he gave Walk an at-will consultancy position, not a full time job. Before hiring him, Stoute sat down with Walk’s wife, Lauren. The UnitedMasters owner states that his talk with Lauren Walk helped him determine if the accusations were false.
In the following year, Walk founded Music Mastery, a global online music and video distribution company. The company provides support and opportunity for artists to upload music daily. The company focuses on identifying, education and inspiring rising artists and content creators. Their distribution package costs $299.00 a year. On top of distribution, singers are able to apply for mentorship. Outside of their own website, they have a radio station on Live One.
Where is He in 2022?
In 2022, he’s now joined the beverage business. He and Derek Gonzales created a beverage spot named Frozaritas together. The spot is located in Miami, Florida. This is the duo’s second business endeavour together. Before Frozaritas they launched outdoor nightspot, restaurant and event space Pilo’s Tequila Garden. They didn’t want to open a generic daiquiri bar using artificial sweeteners and low quality rum, so they instead create frozen margaritas using top shelf tequila, organic mixer, natural ingredients and more.
In late 2021, the former music executive shared that he would be creating a podcast series entitled Walk This Way. The podcast will feature Walk’s stories and voice. Walk This Way has not yet premiered.
