Channing Dungey has been named Chairman of Warner Brothers Television Group, becoming the first African-American president of a major broadcast television network. Nigerian native Pearlena Igbokwe assumed the chairmanship of NBC Universal Studio Group in September.
Dungey succeeds outgoing chairman Peter Roth, who has helmed the studio since 1999, and will assume his position when his contract runs out early next year.
The announcement is the culmination of Dungey’s steady rise up the Hollywood hierarchy. A native of Sacramento and a UCLA graduate, she’d previously worked at Warner Bros. for five years early in her career in the 1990s. Moving on to ABC, she became its president in 2016, where she collaborated with Shonda Rhimes in the production of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and other prime time fare.
During her tenure she fired comedian Roseanne Barr, after the star of the highly-rated sitcom “Roseanne” tweeted racially insensitive remarks about Barack Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. The show was also canceled.
Dungey moved on to become Vice President of original content at the streaming service Netflix in 2018.
Dungey and her husband, Scott Power, have a daughter and a son. Her sister and fellow UCLA alum, Merrin Dungey, is a prolific actress in her own right.
