Former Miss America USA, Gretchen Carlson, is claiming that she was fired from Fox News as a result of rebuffing repeated, predatory-sounding, sexual advances from network chairman and CEO, Roger Ailes, who, it’s worth noting, is a married man.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, the fired anchor alleges she was often subjected to “severe and pervasive sexual harassment” at the hands of the CEO, and also accuses 76-year-old Ailes of “ostracizing, marginalizing, and shunning” her in the workplace – something the Fox News chairman purportedly alluded would stop if Carlson agreed to have sex with him.
US Uncut dug through the entirety of the lawsuit filing, and discovered it made accusations of more than one specific incident where Carlson alleges her ability to function in the workplace was hindered by Ailes’ advances, and to be honest, it’s quite sickening if it’s to be believed.
One particular example of harassment cited in the lawsuit took place in 2009, in which Carlson alleges Steve Doocy, Carlson’s Fox & Friends co-host, had been actively creating a hostile work environment for Carlson, including “mocking her during commercial breaks, shunning her off air, refusing to engage with her on air, and generally attempting to put her in her place by refusing to accept her as an intelligent and insightful female journalist rather than a blond prop.”
Ailes allegedly laughed off Carlson’s complaint about Doocy and called her a “man hater,” telling her she needed to “get along with the boys.” Carlson also claims Ailes slowly removed her from the 6:00 a.m. hour of Fox & Friends despite increased ratings, pulled her off of one-on-one interviews with newsmakers, and eliminated her weekly appearances on the O’Reilly factor after she rebuffed his sexual advances.
Carlson additionally alleges Ailes fired her from Fox & Friends in 2013 for her refusal to accede to his sexual propositioning, then reassigned her to a low-ratings time slot in mid-afternoon while also cutting her pay substantially despite an increase in her workload.
The complaint Carlson filed also alleges Ailes commented inappropriately on her legs, encouraged her to wear more revealing clothes, and at one point asked her to turn around so he could view her posterior.
The anchor’s June 23 firing came on the heels of an incident where she went off-script on live television, and urged Congress to reintroduce a ban on assault weapons in the wake of the horrible tragedy in Orlando – something obviously quite counter to the right wing network’s viewer base.
Carlson, who joined Fox News in 2005, offered up a statement on her Facebook page with regards to the firing, but made no mention of the lawsuit. Roger Ailes is yet to publicly comment on the gross allegations.
[via US Uncut]