A key player with 25 years of experience at NBCUniversal was forced to resign following an affair, Variety reports.

Ron Meyer, The network's Vice Chairman, was involved in an affair with actress Charlotte Kirk that ultimately led to his ouster on Tuesday. Meyer was forced out from his post after failing to disclose that he had reached a private settlement with Kirk. 

Though Meyer did not name Kirk as the woman involved in the affair, unidentified third parties had learned of the settlement and were extorting the executive for money; the affair occurred eight years. 

In a statement, Meyer said that the affair with the unnamed woman was “very brief and consensual” and had occurred “many years ago.”

“I made this disclosure because other parties learned of the settlement and have continuously attempted to extort me into paying them money or else they intended to falsely implicate NBCUniversal, which had nothing to do with this matter, and to publish false allegations about me,” he added.

Kirk is a British-born actress whose credits include “Ocean’s 8,” “How to be Single,” and “Vice.”