During the investigation, Fox News superstar Megyn Kelly said Ailes harassed her too, according to a report in NY magazine. A statement on Tuesday came amidst a swirl of contradictory reports that Ailes had been ousted as head of the influential network. In it, she alleges that Ailes had “sabotaged” her career after she “refused his sexual advances”, and that her job was terminated in retaliation for rebuffing him and complaining to him about sexual harassment.
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In an interview with the Associated Press in May, Kelly said: “I’m very happy with Fox”.
Mr Ailes has denied Ms Carlson’s claims and pushed to move the case into confidential arbitration.
His departure could have huge ramifications for Fox News, which has dominated cable news for well over a decade.
In an damning twist, a representative for 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News Channel, did not defend Ailes, telling the Daily News Tuesday that executives would be declining to comment on the new report.
UPDATE: Matt Drudge has deleted his message showing the purported agreement for Ailes’ departure.
She added, “There is no term sheet, there is no agreement, there is no deal, and the review is ongoing”. Asked by The Hollywood Reporter if her client was in talks to negotiate his exit from Fox, she replied, “There are a lot of ideas floating around, but no final decision has been made by anybody”.
Meanwhile, Fox staffers frantically refreshed their Twitter feeds, checking for the latest information. In a statement, 21st Century Fox said: “Roger is at work”.
The most explosive part of Sherman’s report involved Kelly, Fox’s 9 p.m. host.
Further allegations have since surfaced in United States media that Mr Ailes sexually harassed another Fox News presenter, Megyn Kelly.
After Carlson’s lawsuit was filed, at least six women have approached Carlson’s law firm with similar claims, the firm said.
“I noticed the people who’ve been saying “he never sexually harassed me” also, by the way, work for Fox News, which was such a weird coincidence”, Coulter told HuffPost. In the statement, she said that Ailes “has spent much of the last decade promoting and helping her to achieve the stardom she earned”. Fox is now dominating all of the other networks in this week’s coverage of the Republican National Convention.
Since the lawsuit was filed on July 6, several other women have alleged sexual harassment by Ailes, detailed in an article in New York Magazine. Stay tuned for more information.
Past year however, she praised Ailes to PBS host Charlie Rose.
Ailes denied Carlson’s charges. “Everyone there wants clarity, because you have the stars of the network in Cleveland”.
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A Republican power broker and TV legend, Ailes is not to be underestimated. Murdoch’s sons have taken a larger role in Fox’s operations since the 85-year-old tycoon announced that he would gradually relinquish control of his corporate empire.
