Longtime Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson has announced she is no no longer at Fox News, and has filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit leveled directly at Fox CEO Roger Ailes.
Her accusations against Roger Ailes are jaw-dropping:
5. Ailes retaliated against Carlson in various ways, as described below, including terminating her employment on June 23, 2016, and prior thereto, by among other things, ostracizing, marginalizing, and shunning her after making clear to her that these “problems” would not have existed, and could be solved, if she had a sexual relationship with him.
6. When Carlson met with Ailes to discuss the discriminatory treatment to which she was being subjected, Ailes stated: “I think you and I should have a sexual relationship and then you’d be good and better and then I’d be good and better,” adding that “sometimes problems are easier to solve” that way. Carlson rebuffed Ailes’ sexual demands at that meeting, and nine months later, Ailes ended her career at Fox News.
Whoa!
And there’s more.
Wednesday, Jul 6, 2016 · 4:23:31 PM +00:00 · Jen Hayden
The complaint also says Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy also harassed her on a regular basis:
11. On or about September 3, 2009, Carlson complained to her supervisors that one of her co-hosts on Fox & Friends, Steve Doocy, had created a hostile work environment by regularly treating her in a sexist and condescending way, including putting his hand on her and pulling down her arm to shush her during a live telecast.
12. Doocy engaged in a pattern and practice of severe and pervasive sexual harassment of Carlson, including, but not limited to, mocking her during commercial breaks, shunning her off air, refusing to engage with her on air, belittling her contributions to the show, and generally attempting to put her in her place by refusing to accept and treat her as an intelligent and insightful female journalist rather than a blonde female prop.
13. After learning of Carlson’s complaints, Ailes responded by calling Carlson a “man hater” and “killer” and telling her that she needed to “get along with the boys.”