This article has been updated to incorporate new information from Creative Planning clarifying that Tony Robbins was not fired by the company in response to accusations against him, but that the two mutually parted ways after months of discussions.
Amid a series of reports by BuzzFeed News on various accusations against him, self-help guru Tony Robbins — who has been blasting back at the outlet since the first story dropped — has parted ways with $38 million investment advising firm Creative Planning. Initial reports indicated that the firm fired Robbins in response to the controversy, but the firm has since clarified that the two mutually parted ways.
“The firm’s quick decision to eliminate Robbins’ position, chief of investor psychology, and remove him from its advisory board following the accusations, has won praise from marketing professionals and advisers,” The Wall Street Journal initially reported Tuesday, citing InvestmentNews.
But on Wednesday, Creative Planning issued a press release clarifying the situation:
After several months of negotiation, Tony Robbins has exited from his advisory role within Creative Planning as the Chief of Investor Psychology, a role he assumed in 2016. Mr. Robbins will no longer hold a financial interest in Creative Planning, but he will remain a client and continued supporter of the firm.
“We’ve been negotiating an exit for six months,” said Peter Mallouk, owner and CEO of Creative Planning. “The parting between Tony and Creative Planning was imminent regardless and it was a mutual decision and amicable.”
As The Daily Wire previously reported, BuzzFeed’s public feud with Robbins — who made comments critical of the #MeToo movement in the past — began a few weeks ago when the outlet reported that their yearlong investigation into the celebrity revealed that Robbins “berated abuse victims and subjected his followers to unorthodox and potentially dangerous techniques,” and that he allegedly made “inappropriate sexual advances” against former female fans and staffers, numbering now nine in total.
“A yearlong investigation by BuzzFeed News, based on leaked recordings, internal documents, and dozens of interviews with fans and insiders, reveals how Robbins has berated abuse victims and subjected his followers to unorthodox and potentially dangerous techniques. And former female fans and staffers have accused him of inappropriate sexual advances,” the outlet reported in the first of a multi-part report published May 17. “Two former followers who went on to work for Robbins provided BuzzFeed News with signed statements swearing under oath that they felt he had sexually harassed them by repeatedly pursuing them after they made clear they weren’t interested.”
BuzzFeed has since also published a video from the 1980s of a young Robbins describing using the N-word in one of his seminars. The outlet is now openly seeking more dirt on Robbins, each of its reports including the following message to readers:
Have you had experiences with Tony Robbins that you would like to share? To learn how to reach us securely, go to tips.buzzfeed.com. You can also email us at [email protected].
In a Medium post following the publication of the first report, Robbins blasted BuzzFeed. “I have been the target of a year-long investigation by BuzzFeed. Unfortunately, your organization has made it clear to my team that you intend to move forward with publishing an inaccurate, agenda-driven version of the past, pierced with falsehoods,” Robbins wrote. “It is intended to disparage me personally, my family, my life’s work, and the efforts of the millions of individuals around the globe who have taken this journey with me over the last 40-plus years.”
Meanwhile, Robbins’ legal team is threatening “devastating” action against the outlet and its investors.
Related: BuzzFeed Posts Old Video Of Tony Robbins Using N-Word During Presentation; Robbins’ Lawyer Responds
This article has been updated and revised for clarity.