Andrea Tantaros, a former host at the cable network, filed a lawsuit on Monday claiming that she was sexually harassed by not only former Fox News Chief Roger Ailes, but popular prime time host Bill O’Reilly and former Massachusetts Sen.
Advertisement
“She is now asking for approximately $50 million in the lawsuit, which also names the network’s current co-president Bill Shine, Executive Vice President Dianne Brandi, publicist Irena Briganti and Executive Vice President Suzanne Scott as defendants”, the Daily Mail said. “He may have been the primary culprit, but his actions were condoned by most senior lieutenants”.
The former Fox News host claims Ailes discussed how she looked in a bikini, made sexual comments towards her and speculated the sexual habits of other employees at the company, according to New York Magazine.
Now Andrea Tantaros is joining Carlson by filing her own lawsuit alleging retaliation by Ailes after she tried to complain about harassment by Ailes and other men at Fox News.
This suit, filed in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, is the latest in a back-and-forth between the former anchor and Fox News, whose lawyers early on said she was sidelined for writing a book without network approval. In her complaint, Tantaros alleges that Fox higher-ups punished her for complaints about Ailes’ behavior by demoting, and then removing, her from the air.
Last month, it came out that prized anchor Megyn Kelly had also accused Ailes of sexual harassment. The network said the reason for her absence was a contract dispute around her book “Tied Up in Knots”. Tantaros’ attorney, Judd Burstein, declined TheWrap’s request for comment, while Fox News declined to comment on pending litigation.
Tantaros recoiled and told Brown to stop, the suit says.
In summer 2014, Tantaros said working for Fox “devolved into a nightmare of sexual harassment” from Ailes, including “demeaning conduct” such as being made to strip in front of wardrobe personnel.
Tantaros also says Briganti allegedly placed “insulting” stories about her to various news organizations and posted negative comments about Tantaros from “sock puppet” social media accounts.
A Fox News source told Buzzfeed at the time that Tarantos couldn’t recall a specific instance of sexual harassment during an April 7 meeting. Tantaros, on the other hand, says the suspension was payback for the noise she’d made within the network about sexual harassment.
Ailes resigned in July after another former anchor, Gretchen Carlson, said in a lawsuit that she was sacked for refusing his sexual advances.
Advertisement
Brown denied the claims, saying none of this happened and he has not even been to a nightclub since 1980. Network executives reportedly responded by removing Tantaros from O’Reilly’s show.
