LOS ANGELES-Roger Ailes’ ouster from Fox News has created new challenges at the network, according to a new report by NY magazine, which is now contending with a shift in leadership and will in months to come may have to work to keep its primetime lineup intact.
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Former anchor Gretchen Carlson filed suit in July against the disgraced media mogul (who reportedly plays an unofficial role in the Trump campaign), claiming Ailes subjected her to sexual harassment, then fired her in retaliation after she rebuffed his advances. According to Sherman, Kelly’s “betrayal” of Ailes angered his wife Elizabeth, who pressed Fox News’ P.R. department “to release racy photos of Kelly published years ago in GQ as a way of discrediting her”. “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”.
It also reveals that starting in 2014, Carlson began secretly recording private meetings she had with Ailes.
And the fallout is continuing – Carlson is nearing an eight-figure settlement with Ailes, and there are expected to be further shakeups at Fox, the report said. “Sometimes problems are easier to solve” that way, he reportedly said in one of the taped conversations. Originally Carlson’s legal team was going to file a suit against in September, but when she was sacked on June 23rd, “the day her contract expired”, Smith then “raced to get the suit ready”. [Carlson’s attorney Nancy Erika] Smith instructed an IT technician to install software on her firm’s network and Carlson’s electronic devices to prevent the use of spyware by Fox.
“We didn’t want to be hacked”, she told the magazine. They filed their lawsuit on July 6. Lewis, according to the source, asked Laterza to tell Ailes to stop because he thought Ailes might listen to his longtime assistant. “Getting phone records doesn’t make anybody blink”. Per Sherman, “Laterza told Ailes that his PR chief was being disloyal”. Less than a year later, Ailes fired Lewis.
A lawyer for Ailes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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For all the reasonable criticism launched against Fox News’ reportage, one thing is certain: These fearless women deserve applause for standing up to Ailes and fighting against the old order. An unidentified host told NY magazine that the current management system put into place following Ailes’ departure is just a temporary fix until the election concludes. O’Reilly’s been talking about retirement. “And [Sean] Hannity will go to Trump TV”, the host told NY magazine.
