Ex-Fox News Host Gretchen Carlson Suing CEO Roger Ailes For Sexual Harassment
Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News host, claims she was fired after denying sexual advances from Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, according to the New York Times.
Carlson is now filing a lawsuit against Ailes over sexual harassment and retaliation. The lawsuit claims Ailes often made inappropriate comments and sexual advances, according to CNN Money. Roger Ailes has not yet made a public comment on the matter.
“I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better,” Ailes allegedly said.
“Ailes has unlawfully retaliated against Carlson and sabotaged her career because she refused his sexual advances and complained about severe and pervasive sexual harassment,” the lawsuit reads.
Carlson is claiming she complained about sexism and unfair treatment several times while she was with Fox News. The suit also claims Steve Doocy was sexist toward her during their time working together on Fox & Friends. Ailes allegedly stopped putting her on The O’Reilly Factor and removed her from Fox & Friends because of her complaints.
Gretchen Carlson was hosting the program The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson in the afternoons until recently, and it was very popular.
In an unauthorized biography of Roger Ailes, other stories of sexual misconduct are found. The book, The Loudest Voice in the Room, claims Ailes once offered a television producer named Randi Harrison $100 extra per week on her salary if she would regularly have sex with him.
The book was created by interviewing at least 614 people who knew Roger Ailes, according to the New York Times. The book also claims Ailes once used anti-semitic words when talking about someone he didn’t like.
“I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings,” Roger Ailes said in 2011, according to the Washington Post. That quote started quite a controversy.
Gretchen Carlson has also been no stranger to controversy. At the height of the recent gun debates, Carlson broke from her conservative peers by calling for a ban on the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. She pointed out a majority of Americans support banning “assault weapons” and said they only help terrorists kill people, according to Breitbart.
Gretchen Carlson was crowned Miss America in 1989, and she has faced sexual assault in the past. In an excerpt from her memoir, Getting Real, Carlson talks about how shocked she was that women were treated so poorly in the television industry.
“In the world of music, where I spent my formative years, we were judged solely on our talent, and gender wasn’t a factor,” Carlson wrote, according to the Daily Beast. “It had never occurred to me, because I hadn’t experienced it, that there were people who thought women weren’t equal to men in the workplace—much less that some men would try to take advantage of me.”
She wrote about a top television who “threw himself” on her and “stuck his tongue” down her throat when she got in his car after a casual dinner. She said the experience left her feeling sick.
Gretchen Carlson has not released a statement since the lawsuit was announced.
Editor’s note: Fox News has reached out to the Inquisitr with a statement from Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes.
“Gretchen Carlson’s allegations are false. This is a retaliatory suit for the network’s decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup. When Fox News did not commence any negotiations to renew her contract, Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit. Ironically, FOX News provided her with more on-air opportunities over her 11 year tenure than any other employer in the industry, for which she thanked me in her recent book. This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously.”
[Photo by Rick Polk/Getty Images]
