It’s not a good week to be a creep. That’s good news for the rest of us but bad news for Terry Richardson and his lack of regrets over his predatory behavior with models. Now American Apparel is dumping its resident (alleged) creep. The company announced its firing of CEO and founder Dov Charney “for alleged misconduct.”

Charney has courted controversy for many years. The New York Times describes Charney as such: “The stories about his personal life are legion: the accusations of sexual harassment, suggestive emails, nude photos — the list goes on.” Several people have unsuccessfully tried to sue him for sexual harassment. He reportedly pleasured himself in front of a journo more than once, and he has a reputation for creating “a hostile work environment.” Charney insists that all his relations with female employees are completely consensual. He’s also the photographer behind many of American Apparel’s grossly sexual ads. Charney and Richardson have a lot in common, don’t they?

American Apparel has been synonymous with tasteless advertising since Charney founded the company in 1998. The majority of their ads are too NSFW to post here, but you can catch a taste of the company’s Lolita vibe on their Instagram page. Here’s a (relatively) tame example.

This Buzzfeed article explains Charney’s firing, sort of:

American Apparel’s board is ousting controversial founder Dov Charney as both chairman and chief executive officer citing “alleged misconduct,” the company said in a surprise release late Wednesday.

The board voted to replace Charney’s chairman position with two other directors, and will conduct a search for his replacement as CEO, according to the statement, which was distributed at 10:30 p.m. ET. The company’s chief financial officer, John Luttrell, will serve as interim CEO in the meantime.

“The board’s decision to replace Mr. Charney grew out of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct,” the company said in the statement.

“We take no joy in this, but the Board felt it was the right thing to do,” Allan Mayer, one of the directors who will be co-chairman, said in the statement. “Dov Charney created American Apparel, but the Company has grown much larger than any one individual and we are confident that its greatest days are still ahead.”

A spokesman for Sitrick & Co., an external press contact, declined to comment beyond the release or answer questions about the nature of Charney’s alleged misconduct and the investigation. The termination will be effective after 30 days, as per the terms of his agreement, the statement noted. Charney picked up a call from BuzzFeed and said “Hello?” before quickly hanging up. The phone now rings without answer, then plays a message that says the voicemail box has not been set up yet.

Charney told BuzzFeed in an interview published in February that he was still in the process of building American Apparel, despite the management concerns that have haunted the company for years, and bristled when pressed on the topic of succession planning. “I don’t have people bursting in my house yet telling me to take a hike,” Charney said.

Updated: The retailer’s board replaced Charney as chairman and said it intends to fire him “for cause.” A spokesperson declined to comment; Charney won’t talk.

[From Buzzfeed]

Something huge must have happened behind the scenes. I wonder if NYMag will pen a sympathetic article about Charney in an effort to paint him as an “artist.” He and Uncle Terry have similar reputations of using their power when it comes to female models and employees. The Washington Post wasted no time in crafting a comparison essay of the two men. WaPo reminds us of a former sales manager who said Charney “perpetuated a reign of sexual terror.” Charney and his attorneys always maintained the the lawsuits against him were based upon lies. It’s no coincidence that American Apparel’s ads favor the same aesthetic as Terry Richardson’s images.

Photos courtesy of Getty, American Apparel on Instagram & NYMag