Jason Maynard, the newly appointed CEO of the tech company Qualtrics, is accused of telling his team to remove Bravo TV host Andy Cohen from a speaking role at its convention, specifically because he is Gay.
The accusation comes from a whistleblower who claims to work at Qualtrics but requested to remain anonymous due to fears over losing their job. They wrote about the company’s annual convention “X4,” which this year is taking place at the Seattle Convention Center. Qualtrics has a small yet notable presence in Seattle’s tech community, leasing 13 stories of offices downtown and employing 500-800 local tech workers.
X4, like many tech conventions, also flies in an assortment of high-profile guests to hype up the crowd. As of January, the celebrity speakers included actress Mindy Kaling, in addition to Cohen. Their names were announced before Maynard, previously a vice president at the tech giant Oracle, was named CEO in early February.
A week later in February, Andy Cohen’s name and likeness were removed from the list of speakers. The whistleblower claims that the timing of this change in the lineup, close to Maynard’s arrival, is not a coincidence.
“Rumors at the office are that this happened because of anti-diversity (LGBTQ+) perspectives, specifically around the orientation and politics of Andy,” they wrote initially. In a follow-up, they later claimed to have confirmed their suspicions, then more directly accused Maynard of saying Cohen “needed to be cancelled because he’s gay.”
After the CEO’s alleged comment, Qualtrics’ website and social media was “scrubbed,” in the whistleblower’s words, of any information revolving around Cohen’s scheduled appearance. However, an Instagram post by the company, in which the social media team highlighted Cohen as a speaker alongside Kaling, was left online. The whistleblower cited the post as evidence, and the SGN was able to confirm its legitimacy as a real, undoctored image.
The whistleblower also claimed Maynard has “donated to politics promoting anti-diversity,” which the SGN confirmed. While working his prior job at Oracle, documents show that Maynard donated a total of around $39,000 to Donald Trump, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican National Committee, and their respective PACs before the 2024 election. Sen. Blackburn is a hardline Republican from Tennessee, where Maynard previously lived.
The whistleblower also shared a document they claimed to have found in the company drive. They believe there’s more secrecy afoot at the company, though they’re afraid to dig further. However, the document doesn’t actually bolster the whistleblower’s case that the company targeted Cohen’s sexuality. Instead, it allegedly presents a second motive: Andy Cohen is too scandalous to have as a keynote speaker.
It would be unfair to say Cohen doesn’t court controversy. He recently gave an inebriated rant, live on the air, against former NYC mayor Eric Adams. In addition, Housewives franchise star Leah McSweeney is suing Cohen and his producers at Bravo for allegedly preying on her alcohol addiction while on set. The details of said lawsuit will soon be heard publicly in court, and, while the phrasing is vague, Qualtrics seems to be aware of this.
“Andy Cohen has appeared in news coverage tied to broader scrutiny of reality-television culture and workplace dynamics at media networks,” reads the document, “including allegations raised by former cast members… While these claims have not resulted in criminal charges, civil findings, or substantiated investigative conclusions against Cohen personally, they have contributed to renewed online discussion and perception risk.”
Not all of the whistleblower’s accusations could be confirmed. These include claims that Amy Barone, who helped manage 2025’s X4 and allegedly handles the convention’s celebrity speakers, is “doing some sort of cover-up” regarding Maynard’s comments on Cohen, and that author Priya Parker was removed from her speaking spot because Maynard “does not want to share a stage with a Seattle liberal hippie.” He allegedly said that she would make him look bad, and that he finds Parker’s speaking voice to be annoying. He said he would visibly express his annoyance with her voice if they were seen together. Parker, unlike Cohen, is still listed as a guest at X4 on the convention’s website.
The SGN has contacted Qualtrics for comment, and will update this story when more information is available.
X4 is taking place March 17–19 at the Seattle Convention Center’s Summit Building. Other celebrity guests, including comedian Colin Jost, Gov. Bob Ferguson, and Pitbull, are set to appear during the three-day event.
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