She was sacked on June 23 from her job presenting “The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson” for Fox News, the lawsuit says.
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In her lawsuit, Carlson said her career was affected as a result of refusing Ailes’ sexual advances.
In September, Carlson says Ailes told her, “I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and the you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better”. “This is a retaliatory suit for the network’s decision not to renew her contract”, he said.
Mr. Ailes responded to Ms. Carlson’s complaints about Mr. Doocy by giving her fewer high-profile assignments and then dropping her from the morning show “Fox & Friends” in 2013 when her contract expired, according to the complaint and Nancy Smith, Ms. Carlson’s lawyer. He called the suit “offensive” and vowed a vigorous legal defence.
GRETCHEN CARLSON: Because I can.
The Top 13 most-watched programs on cable news during the first quarter of 2016 are all on Fox News Channel.
The plaintiff claims her ratings were “solid and consistent” and had nothing to do with her being fired on 23 June this year.
But according to other Fox employees, Carlson wasn’t the only one Ailes harassed.
Andrea Tantaros, the outspoken political contributor who vanished from Outnumbered in April, has not commented on Carlson’s lawsuit so far.
She was sacked from “Fox & Friends” in 2013 and demoted, given a smaller salary, which she again says was in retaliation for not acceding to sexual harassment. She has also complained about disparaging treatment at the workplace. “We take these matters seriously”, Fox said in a released statement.
Fox News is a subsidiary of News Corp.
In light of the claims parent company 21st Century Fox has mounted an internal review but insists it has “full confidence” in its executives.
She went on to accuse Ailes of “ostracizing, marginalizing and shunning” her before firing her last month. Carlson also wrote an essay previous year at the time of her book launch that recounted the instances in which she had faced sexual harassment.
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Hot Air asked for comment on the lawsuit from Fox News but did not receive a response in time to be included in this story. Updated with a statement from Carlson’s attorney.
