Gretchen Carlson sues Fox News CEO Roger Ailes for lechery, sexual harassment

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This ^^ is Gretchen Carlson. If you’re a morning person like me, you probably already knew that. Carlson was the cohost of Fox & Friends, the Fox News morning show. Carlson cohosted the show with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade until 2013. If you ever watched The Daily Show with John Stewart or The Soup, I guarantee that you’ve seen clips of the regular inanities at Fox & Friends. After Carlson was replaced on Fox & Friends, she went on to host Real Story on Fox News. But then Carlson was fired a few weeks ago. And Carlson is PISSED. She claims that her firing was the result of refusing Fox News’ CEO Roger Ailes’ sexual advances, and she’s already filed a lawsuit. Apparently, Ailes is a sexist leech who sexually harasses the Fox News blondes and then retaliates against them when they rebuff his Jabba-the-Hut-like advances. This is brand new information!

Gretchen Carlson is suing Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes . According to papers obtained by PEOPLE, Carlson is alleging that her former employer “Ailes has unlawfully retaliated against Carlson and sabotaged her career because she refused sexual advances and complained about severe and pervasive sexual harassment.”

Carlson, now 50, claims the biggest form of Ailes’ retaliation was her firing from Fox News on June 23, nine months after allegedly “ostracizing, marginalizing and shunning” the Real Story anchor before suggesting she engage in a sexual relationship with him.

Also under fire in Carlson’s filing is former Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy, whom Carlson claims “regularly treat[ed] her in a sexist and condescending way” when they worked together. The lawsuit claims Doocy “engaged in a pattern and practice of severe and pervasive sexual harassment” that was tantamount to treating her as “a blond female prop.”

Carlson alleges Ailes, now 76, called her a “man hater” when she complained to him in 2009 about Doocy’s behavior and subsequently “pursued a highly personal agenda” by limiting her assignments and exposure on the network, and ultimately firing her from Fox & Friends in 2013, which resulted in a new time slot and a pay cut. She alleges Ailes asked “her to turn around so he could view her posterior,” commented on her body and wardrobe and once told her “she was ‘sexy,’ but ‘too much hard work.’ ”

Carlson, 50, is seeking an undisclosed amount for “lost compensation, damaged career path, damage to reputation and pain and suffering damages.”

[From People]

Gawker compiled a more detailed list of Carlson’s claims here, and they also have a copy of Carlson’s entire lawsuit here. Just my opinion? It absolutely sounds like Carlson has a damn good case and I hope she goes all the way with it. Meaning, I hope she doesn’t take a settlement, and I hope she goes for the jugular. As for the idea that Roger Ailes is this disgusting… yeah, not a surprise. The only surprise is that one of the Fox News hosts is talking openly about how f—king awful it is to be a woman in the Fox News world. Also: Steve Doocy can eat it, that man is such a moron.

In the hours after the details from Gretchen’s lawsuit became public, Roger Ailes responded, basically saying that there was nothing to it. But! Gretchen’s lawyers say that at least a dozen women have contacted them about making statements regarding Ailes’ lechery. And now Fox News is conducted an internal investigation of their CEO’s behavior.

This is Roger Ailes.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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86 Responses to “Gretchen Carlson sues Fox News CEO Roger Ailes for lechery, sexual harassment”

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  1. Alix says:

    Given all she’s done to her face, her book title is pretty ironic.

    • GingerNYC says:

      That’s what you took from this story?

      • Tash says:

        You took words out of my mouth.

      • Myrna says:

        I know – the story speaks to a prevalent and disgusting issue.
        And I don’t think she’s done a thing to her face, since you mention it.

      • Alix says:

        I didn’t read it. I saw the pic and thought her face looked jacked and made a comment. RELAX.

    • k says:

      Wow, so this woman is sexually harassed, belittled and demeaned and you pile on? Nice.

    • Christin says:

      She is still recognizable from her 1980s beauty queen days. If she had anything done, it’s subtle.

      And that’s the first thing taken from this story?

  2. Esmom says:

    Disgusting. But sadly not all that surprising, as everything about Fox News tends to leave me feeling like I need a shower. I hope she goes all the way and nails the scumbag, too.

    • Lindsay says:

      She is definitely gunning for Roger Ailes personally. Normally in the suits the company would be named along with the accused. The company has deeper pockets, insurance, and motivation to settle. In her complaint she not only made Ailes the sole defendant, she absolves Fox News of any responsibility for his actions (based on the way women are portrayed by Fox News both in commentary and the way they are styled and presented (I.e. having a “legs chair”)) it would not be a stretch to say the company itself fosters and even feels like it condones sexiest, sexually suggestive behavior which created a hostile work environment. Steve Doocy being able to treat her as a “blonde prop” and when she complained they protected him and blamed and shamed her is a great example of this being a widespread, toxic company culture.

      If she was after money she would name Doocy, Fox News, and it’s parent company. She did not go that route and kind of closed the door on her being able to amend it and claim Fox itself has some liability in this. That was not an accident – her lawyers would have made sure understood what she was sacrificing by stating what she did in her initial complaint. They probably even advised her to name Fox or at least not close the door entirely. They would have enjoyed their 33% of Murdoch money on top of whatever they are able to get out of Ailes. She seems like she is gunning for his reputation and job. Fox News may be forced to let him go for PR if he is presented as the bad apple of an otherwise wonderful organization. If that is her real goal then she won’t be tempted to settle until she sees him punished.

      • Myrna says:

        Absolutely!
        Well said.

        Absolving Fox of any wrongdoing puts this entirely in Ailes’ gross pig lap.
        Go get him, Gretchen.

        As a woman sexually harassed, shamed and degraded in the workplace as a very young, naive newlywed (a LONG time ago), I admire Grechen for standing up and bringing this issue to the national platform.
        It can’t be easy.

        Let’s hope, as Lindsay notes, that this scrutiny causes Fox to fire his a*s.
        He sounds like a disgusting, weasel, scum of a man.
        So many out there.
        Knock me down one at a time.

      • Myrna says:

        That’s “knock ’em down”

      • Bunbun says:

        I have some hope, but the cynic in me says she’ll settle. 😒

    • detritus says:

      It sucks because some liberal sites are pissing on her because she supported Fox’s MO.
      Just because shes a dickbag doesn’t mean she deserves to be sexually harassed by a bigger dickbag.
      It’s looking like more women are coming out of the woodwork to bolster the claim too.
      Its scary, but I feel like more of these men(and probably some women) will be exposed.
      Jimmy Saville, Cosby, Sandusky etc.
      I hope the success of the people who come forward helps provide a precedent for future cases and these people see the justice they deserve.

      • Girligirl says:

        I don’t’ think calling her names proves your point. She is highly educated and has worked hard, in a career field she clearly enjoys. I don’t see you saying the same to Amber Heard. So back off her, no matter what network or party she may fall under. You know, doesn’t matter who you are, how much you have, or who you associate with, the same crap happens to everybody.

  3. Izzy says:

    “I’m shocked!”
    – No Sane Person, Ever

    • doofus says:

      ha! my exact reaction.

    • annaloo. says:

      Amen– but I hope she nails him. It’s so apparent there’s a dictate at Fox that the newswomen must show cleavage, be blown out, be blonde, etc.. it caters to such a particular alpha US good-old-boy taste that it is beyond me how they pass themselves off as a fair and balanced. These male helmed enterprises like Fox or Playboy or Miss America and many in their ilk that treat women as flavors of the day disgust me. We have truly robbed society when we reduce women to visual decoration.

      I wasn’t a fan of Gretchen Carlson, and this won’t necessarily make me one, but, again, I hope she really hits Ailes where it hurts.

    • Kimbers says:

      I laughed so hard when she had said she was a blonde prop ! It’s fox …ummmmm yeah. That’s how they treat anyone not white or vagina baring.

      • tback says:

        Yeah…what did you expect from Fox News? I feel like she sold her soul and was a face for these horrible people. Not to say I think she deserved this treatment…I don’t really feel that way. But I do feel some sort of conflicting feelings and I don’t like admitting that…however, I still support her and hope those a**holes get what they deserve.

    • hippiechk says:

      Yep, this.

      • Me Three says:

        @tback, I feel exactly the same and conflicted for feeling that way, especially after reading some of the comments here. After watching her on The Daily Show and on her show while visiting older family members who, God help me, watch Fox, I feel like in some small way, she is responsible for the treatment she received because she denigrated other women almost daily often simply because they espoused different political views. I’ll never forget watching her laugh at some “liberal” for using a word she supposedly didn’t understand–I can’t remember the word but recall it was something quite simple and a word most people would understand. This woman went to Stanford and Oxford and played the part of a dumb blond. So, I guess I’m just a bi*tch because like the woman who worked for Breitbart, I think she sold out a long time ago.

  4. Lucy2 says:

    Not a fan of her work with Fox, but I support her and whoever joins her in this fight. It’s not at all surprising, but definitely disheartening.

    • Betsy says:

      There. That’s a nice way to put it. I don’t agree with her politics, but sexual harassment is unacceptable.

      I forget where I read it, so these are not my own thoughts, but someone said it’s so disheartening that someone who is near the top of her profession still has to put up with this garbage. Which isn’t a surprise, exactly, as anyone with eyes has seen how Hillary has been treated over the years (nutcracker, anyone?), but still just… Eff. Seriously?

      • Kitten says:

        OT but if I have to hear one more effin thing about the investigation into Hillary’s emails I will absolutely lose it. Like, LET. IT. GO. Time to move on, folks. The AG decided not to bring charges.
        The end.

        And I’m a Sanders-supporter–not a fan of Hillary at all–but this is just ridiculous.
        It makes the GOP look pathetic. If they want to go after her, why not challenge her ON THE ISSUES? Why not challenge her on her corporate ties?

        I just can’t with American politics this year. I’ve never been less interested or more exhausted by the whole damn thing.

      • lucy2 says:

        I almost wrote something along the same lines, that it’s amazing to me that at ALL levels, women still have to deal with this sh!t.

      • doofus says:

        Kitten, re: the whole email thing…

        Comey was being PRAISED by the GOP just weeks ago as a “straight shooter” and as someone who could be trusted to be unbiased and “do the right thing” and that they’d abide by whatever he decided.

        now that he gave them an answer they don’t like, they want to haul him in and ask WHY????!!!!! like the butt-hurt children they are.

      • Kitten says:

        @Doofus-EXACTLY! They are absolutely acting like butthurt children. Benghazi, now this. MY GOD just stop beating that horse, man. It’s dead already.

        And I’m sorry but I can’t help but get a strong whiff of misogyny tinged with racism. Loretta Lynch being a black woman provides the Neocon conspiracy theorists with enough ammo to go for days. Recall what happened when Lynch was hired: she was accused of carrying out Holder’s “racial vengeance”.
        Now she’s being accused of giving Hillary a pass because they’re “in bed” politically. Maybe, just maybe, Lynch actually did her damn job properly and came to this conclusion fairly, but it doesn’t matter–Repubs and others will insist that she’s biased.

        It’s really unfortunate that she met with Bill Clinton. Even if it was a casual encounter where nothing personal was discussed, the optics that resulted were questionable and predictably riled up the Conservative base. I REALLY wish she hadn’t handed them that little present.

      • Kitten says:

        ETA: That should say *I really wish HE hadn’t handed them that little present. I put this one on Bill, not Lynch.

      • THE OG BB says:

        Kitten: do not come to my facebook feed or you will heave. I can’t hide everyone! I also pass a huge Hillary for Prison sign in front of some guys house all the time. People are also making all kinds of non equal comparisons to other situations. The system is rigged blah blah blah. I also have some huge Bernie supporters (I am a Bernie supporter but not a Buster) sharing memes from Sarah Bloody Palin for god sakes. I sometimes wonder if these Fox bots actually believe what they spew or they are encouraged to say the most bat crap crazy things they can think of.

      • Kitten says:

        @THE OG BB-Oh my god I know it. I had one guy on my FB feed sharing Bernie stuff. For a long time I was right there with him, providing likes and comments on his posts–until he started posting about “Hillary The Crook” over and over again. Finally there was one long, expletive-laced rant about how he’s going to vote for Trump because Hillary is an “evil b*tch” and I had to block him.
        He was starting to sound completely unhinged and I realized he was one of the “Bernie Bros” I had been warned about.

        Then there are my *real life* friends who support Bernie and post interesting and informative political links and avoid the cray talk. Thank goodness for them…

      • Betsy says:

        @Kitten – I am a big Hillary supporter, but I’m with you. Just let it fricking go. It’s reminiscent of when Martha Stewart got nailed – and did time for! – a comparatively tiny crime while the big boys… I can’t even name a one. No one and I mean NO ONE did a damn thing about Bush’s private emails and all the millions that were deleted. But a server? Oh my god, no, a server. Plus my husband works in the intelligence community and he’s just like, it’s not that big a deal.

        And perhaps if the Republicans wanted anything to stick, they could quit ginning up issues. Seriously. What have they not thrown at the Clintons? I’ve got Republican-created scandal fatigue. Short of her taking out some ridiculously large gun and blowing off someone’s head…. I’m just pooped. I’ve read too many stories about sexism, women getting screwed over, women serving sentences for having possession of drugs their boyfriends bought… Yeah, she did something arguably wrong. I just… I’m done.

      • nicole says:

        Kitten, I agree about the emails, they are so wanting to get her, they will never let it drop, just listening to the James Comey testifying thing now and i hope he stands by his decision and stands his ground, they are a sad lot, I so hope Hillary wins in November and hope Bernie comes on board next week, was listening to Trump last night and I swear he is not the full shilling, he talks like he is not all there, there is no way that man should be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, and I am from Ireland but thats my view. I hope all you celebitchy’s vote for Hillary!

      • Kitten says:

        @Betsy-Amen. The email “scandal” is a non-scandal to me. For the LIFE of me I cannot understand why people are so freaking hung up on it.
        Was it careless? Sure. Maybe not the most careful, professional way of handling her duties. But to use that as a reason to say that she’s not capable of being president? Um, WHAT?
        It seems to me like it was an error on her part, not evidence of intentional shadiness. And I’m not naïve-I understand that politics is a dirty business but I also don’t believe that everything is evidence of a grand political conspiracy to screw over the country. Politicians are mere mortals who make mistakes like the rest of us.
        I mean JEEZ there are so many issues that are worthier of our time and energy as well as taxpayers’ money.

        @Nicole-“was listening to Trump last night and I swear he is not the full shilling”

        I love that expression!
        I’ll be voting for Hillary as will my father. My mom (who cannot vote as she is not US citizen) is a huge Hillary fan so she was pretty bummed that I voted for Sanders in the primary. Hopefully I’ll be back in her good graces after this election 😉

    • HH says:

      Agreed. I must say though, between this and having to defend Megyn Kelly in regards to Trump… 2016 is really testing my feminism.

      • k says:

        haha about 2016 testing your feminism.

        I am right there with you. These women’s politics offend me, they often say things that make me so angry and offended I actually scream. That being said they don’t deserve to be harassed, demeaned or degraded. And as much as I hate what they say and believe they have the right to say it and I fully believe in that, because that belief allows me to tell them why they are wrong.

        So no matter how wrong or offensive I find them- when I see a man demand they sleep with them for career advancement, call them “man haters’ for not wanting to be degraded or mock them for having a period you bet I will back them all the way. Because guess what no one deserves those things happen to them.

      • COG says:

        Testing your feminism, really? Actions of fellow women make you wish for inequality?

  5. Jenns says:

    Between this lawsuit and the Breitbart reporter getting assaulted at a Trump rally, maybe conservative women should realize that many of the men in their party really don’t give a sh*t about them. Their only job is to look hot and put out.

    And I wonder if this is why Elisabeth Hasselbeck left the morning show. Her departure was unexpected and she used that BS excuse about wanting to spend more time with her family.

    • Redgrl says:

      Jenns – this!

    • Keaton says:

      I wondered that about Elisabeth Hasselbeck too. That was her dream job right? She didn’t stay in it long. It’s all coming together now.

      • Tiffany says:

        @Keaton. I totally believe something went down with Elizabeth. I think the abrupt exit was a very clear sign. If she and her husband were making it work with he was still active in the NFL and she was in New York, yeah, something went down. Now that this lawsuit has happened, I have a feeling she is going to be feeling pretty chatty.

      • Jenns says:

        I thought she was fired. But now I’m thinking it’s totally related to this lawsuit. I’m sure Douchy pulled the same crap with Elisabeth.

        She has been pretty quiet and off the radar since her exit. I’m now wondering if they made her sign something in exchange for a nice severance package.

      • CarolinaBelle says:

        I thought that the Fox viewers complained that she wasn’t very bright and that she always read off of note cards. So, they let her go under the guise of “to spend more time with my children.”

    • Betsy says:

      Stockholm Syndrome. It will never change, especially why the personal narrative of so many conservative women is that they’re doing the right thing and women really don’t deserve full rights.

      • GingerNYC says:

        But does she at least recognize that now? Because with her lawsuit she’s engaging in the same kind of ‘complaining’ and ‘militant feminism’ as those SJWs she so derided. Or is she is still a special snowflake while the rest of us are still libtards?

      • Betsy says:

        No,mi don’t think she does recognize that, nor will she ever. Her father was a conservative governor of Minnesota. She’s a cradle conservative.

        Nice work using all those buzzwords though. That was funny. 🙂

      • Tourmaline says:

        @Betsy, Minnesotan here (like Gretchen! ha) and no, her dad was NOT a governor of Minnesota. Her father owned an auto dealership in Anoka. Gretchen was publicizing it a few years back when General Motors was threatening to terminate their franchise. Minnesota did have a Governor (Arne) Carlson in the 1990s but he wasn’t Gretchen’s dad.

      • Betsy says:

        @toutmaline – Minnesotan, too!
        Ha! I had my Minnesota heritages confused!

    • k says:

      The Elisabeth Hasselback thing is interesting! I wonder if she is one of the women coming forward to back the claim?

  6. farah says:

    I mean, this guy publicly admitted he watched Fox News with the sound off (not that I blame him), so he could oogle at the female hosts (gross). And the hires women based on whether he wanted to f*ck them, and men on whether they annoyed him at a baseball game.

    I hope this has a Cosby like effect. I hope his disgrace of a “news” network goes down in flames. While I don’t agree with the Fox BlondBots politically, NO ONE deserves to have such a hostile work environment.

  7. Keaton says:

    Get him Gretchen! And please don’t sign a confidentiality agreement. I want it all out there!

    Also, I don’t give a flying eff that she’s a conservative that willingly worked for FOX News for years You can be a twit (or even a loathsome person) and be a victim of sexual harassment too. I’m just putting that out there because I’m sure someone will bring up the fact she enabled the Faux News propaganda machine by working for them. That’s irrelevant to whether she was sexually harassed. I 100% believe her and I hope she takes him and FOX News down in flames.

    On a more humorous note:
    Someone posted this on Gawker: Here is your Fox News Sexual Harassment Bingo Card
    https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–88mHJV-h–/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/rj0soxduiykldatfdmxy.jpg

    • GingerNYC says:

      I commented on the enabling below. It’s not that I don’t believe her or think it’s ok that she was treated that way, it’s just that I don’t have a lot of sympathy for her. Of course I support the underlying cause. But unless this is a come to Jesus moment for her and she now realizes how much damage her public hatefulness has done to other women, I just don’t particularly care.

      • Monkeeeyz says:

        I compare her lawsuit to “My abortion is the only right abortion” type of mentality.

        She worked for a company that regularly mocked victims of sexual harassment to the public. Sure she has a right to her lawsuit, and I believe her…..but that’s it.

      • QQ says:

        There it is Ginger you said it way way better and calmer than I would, I have zero of my coins for this one

      • THE OG BB says:

        Yeah, this. I do wonder how much they are encouraged to say some of this stuff. Like Megyn Kelly’s SANTA IS WHITE nonsense.

      • JenniferJustice says:

        Maybe that’s part of Ailes’ game – encouraging female staff to bag on female victims of sexual harrassment so they feel they can’t say or do anything when they themselves are harrassed because then they’d be a hypocrate.

        I don’t care for her views or her previous victim shaming, but I still hope she nails this guy to the wall for basically setting up his own hunting ground on the basis of “don’t tell or you’re just another “complainer.” I want that Hitchcock looking/acting fool to burn!

    • Kitten says:

      OMG that Bingo card tho!

      O_O

      And I agree with both you AND GingerNYC.
      Of course I’m on Gretchen’s side, but my sympathy is limited.

  8. lilacflowers says:

    I sense a lot of bluster is about to fill the skies over New Jersey, lasting for several months until the legal fees for discovery start to escalate into the tens of thousands and Mr. Ailes will offer nice, juicy settlement to make it all go away.

  9. Tara says:

    Her attorney says she has been contacted by 10 other women as of yesterday, also claiming to have been sexually harassed by Ailes. I agree with others, I’m not shocked but I am disgusted. Don’t even get me started on Steve Doocy.

    • GingerNYC says:

      She should hope that none of those 10 women were ever profiled as a ‘feminazi’ on her show for having had the nerve to speak up.

  10. GingerNYC says:

    I must admit to mixed feelings on this one. To quote a Gawker comment,
    “White female gatekeepers of misogyny and racism don’t get the “damsel in distress” treatment when they’ve participated in shitting on other women. She’s an enemy to the majority of women (especially me). She isn’t a victim, but a collaborator and oppressor. She’s merely a victim of self-inflicted hubris. Carlson was instrumental in fomenting a culture where (victims) are derided, misrepresented and vilified. ”
    She’s ended up being the victim of something she helped perpetuate, so, although I don’t believe she “deserved it”, my sympathy only goes so far. Her hypocrisy is what really bothers me. I remember she was really harsh toward the victim when commenting about the Owen Labrie case. Does she feel differently now? Maybe it’s because of the conditioning that happens to a woman when she is told her whole life to shut up and be pretty (she was a pageant girl) . And now that that is gone she gets discarded like a piece of trash and starts to really see for the first time the culture she was surrounded by. But does she get it now? Or is she just pissed she didn’t get her raise? Maybe I’d like to see her make some kind of statement indicating her remorse for previously blaming all those other victims? Idk, this one is tough.

    • Neelyo says:

      Yeah that sums up how I feel too.

    • Tara says:

      See I never watched her show and only saw out takes on Jon Stewart. So I didn’t know whether she directly participated in this stuff. I understand how you feel. I just hope that what is unfolding now sends a wakeup call to at least some of these right wing media women who make a living cr*pping on other women.

    • Kitten says:

      Agree completely.

    • Myrna says:

      I understand what you’re saying, Ginger, but I think that Gretchen has spoken out against the misogyny and harassment at Fox News for years.
      It’s why she was ostracized and minimalized over the years.
      And it’s not an easy thing to stand up to those in power – those who control the purse strings and your career.
      It had to get to a level of where she is powerful enough to take a public stand.
      And she’s arrived.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        But interns have sued Fox News and several of its on-air personalities for sexual harassment.

      • Myrna says:

        That may be true, but Gretchen has opposed harassment and spoken up against it for years at Fox resulting in what the network sees as a demotion to afternoon TV without proper marketing on the show’s behalf.
        She’s suffered reprocusions for all of it – much of which I’m sure we don’t know.
        Yes, this is the first time that we know of where she’s going after Ailes in the courts, but I don’t think it’s fair to say she condoned harassment at the network.

        She had much more to lose than an intern (although it must have been pure hell for a young intern and I find it abhorrent for those in power to abuse interns – this happened to me when I was young), but Gretchen’s now arrived at a professional position with clout to fight.
        I back her all the way.

    • mary s says:

      I don’t get her, either. She’s been unsupportive of other victims of discrimination, hasn’t she? Is her story the only authentic one? I want to rally for her, and I hope she gets what she feels is right. On the other hand I’m still angry about her hypocrisy, and I just can’t 100% support her unless she can address that. If she think she’s a special snowflake who deserves her day in court, while other accusers are after $$ and full of sh:t, then in my opinion, she doesn’t deserve support. I do feel awful for her. Sexual harassment in the workplace is frightening and humiliating.

    • k says:

      See I understand that POV, but I have to say I think it is a bit problematic. It is almost like you are making the same argument rapists make of well she was asking for it.

      I admit to only seeing her on the Daily Show and based on that yes Gretchen helped spread this crap, she was part of the problem not the solution she has said offensive things. She enrages me when she speaks in a way that I can’t put into words but that doesn’t excuse her being sexually harassed, demeaned or degraded. And also if we start to say well she deserved it because she participated in the propaganda how can we get angry when men say well she was asking for it by wearing a thong.

      Listen I find her repulsive, I find the things she has said horrible but I also know that no one deserves to be harassed, no one deserves to be demeaned and we also don’t know what was actually going on to make this stuff happen.

      So while I personally hope she learns from this and it forces her to reflect on the things she has said (I am also fine with people questioning her on this) I have a real standard of zero tolerance on sexual harassment even if I find the victim a silly, hateful, unintelligent woman hating dingbat.

      • I Choose Me says:

        Have to say I agree with you k. Even if she doesn’t have a ‘come to jesus’ moment., I am firmly behind anyone who exposes sexual harrassment and the misogynistic f-cktards who perpetuate it. I hope she nails this Ailes toad to the wall.

      • MC2 says:

        K- I agree totally.

        I heard a stanch feminist one time say something similar to the above comment about strippers. The idea being that they benifit & perpetuate sexism which, in turn, hurts all women. Therefore, they are the enemy & do not deserve sympathy.

        I would argue the opposite.

        I have much more sympathy for the plight of sexism when it comes to women in the sex industry then any idiot at fox but the argument is the same. I feel sorry for her that she self hated enough to work at Fox.

        I still back her 100%- no perfect victims. And I also still dislike her 100% as well.

    • Tourmaline says:

      Yeah, she was a “pageant girl”–she was Miss America to be exact. She was also a Stanford grad, went to Oxford, was a very talented violinist. She wasn’t Miss Hawaiian Tropic.

  11. kori says:

    A few weeks ago Gretchen went OFF on guns following Orlando. I was shocked it made it to air! Doocy is good buddies with Ailes too and I love she dragged Douchey into the lawsuit. His son works for fox too. I saw him reporting on Orlando and thought ‘he’s really awful’ before I even realized who he was. But I chalked it up to newness, turns out he’s been there since 2009! Ailes definitely plays a personal game at the network. I totally believe her.

    • ClaireB says:

      One of the satiric news shows showed a clip of that and guessed that she’d be fired quite quickly. And here it is!

      • k says:

        I thought when I saw the clip she’d be fired, and so when I heard she was I was like yep there it is. I bet they didn’t expect the clap back

  12. JustCrimmles says:

    If this brought about the end of Fox News, I wouldn’t be mad. Not for a minute. My dad would have to seek out bullshit “news” elsewhere! (Except, the internet still exists…fml.)

  13. Dr. Funkenstein says:

    I’m SHOCKED! SHOCKED, I say!

  14. kodakay says:

    SMH. Self-righteous FAUX news.

  15. Fire Rabbit says:

    She should add age discrimination to her accusations. Interesting they fired her as she turned fifty. You know that 1950s white man think of which Fox is ground zero. Too old. Put the cow out to pasture if she won’t kneel.
    Absolutely she deserves support for this legal action but I have to be honest and say I’m conflicted. How long has she turned a blind eye to this happening to other women there? Absolutely no one is surprised that this is the Fox News culture. She helped put it forth; was a good little blonde prop for years. On principle she has my empathy but not necessarily my sympathy? Does that make any sense?

    • Christin says:

      I get it. Willing participant gets burned and then cries foul.

      When you supposedly are not allowed to wear pants, that was hint number one that abilities are not the reason for being hired.

  16. kri says:

    Roger is almost as appealing as Harvey. Spill that tea, Gretchen. Gross hogs be gross hoggin.

  17. DuckGoose says:

    I’m surprised people would blame her for ‘enabling’ the culture. Any corporation you work for, there is good and bad, most people struggle with the frustration of it and trying to steer clear of it. I work in tv and it is cut throat as hell. I work for a show that is the complete opposite of everything fox news stands for, and I can tell you, sexism is not exclusive to them. Many times women struggle with whether to leave and hopefully land on their feet somewhere else, or stick it out where they are and try to improve by rising above it, both personally and professionally. Men rarely face this conflict, they stay and rise up through the ranks.

  18. iheartgossip says:

    Now someone needs to bring the truth about Bill O’Riely too

    • lilacflowers says:

      He has been sued several times and always settles, after making derogatory comments about the women. Google him and loofah for information about the first one. Yes, loofah. Also falafel. He has just gone through an extremely nasty divorce and custody battle (the kids saw him beating their mother) and is now trying to sue his ex-wife. He is also trying to get all records sealed but has not been successful.

  19. JustVisiting says:

    I wish I could find it. There was a clip from either the soup, daily show, or Colbert report a few years back. I think it was CR. Where Gretchen acts a bit dumb on Fox and friends like she doesn’t know the definition.
    Then a clip plays of her showing off her insane musical talent for the miss America pageant and that she’s extremely intelligent. Having to hide her degree to work there.

    I think she’ll be better off.

    • Me Three says:

      Thank you for confirming this! I was trying to remember the word she claimed not to know and where I saw it. I do recall being very surprised to learn she was a Stanford and Oxford Grad and feeling disgusted with her.

      However, after reading all the comments above, I feel very guilty for not supporting her in the same way I would another woman. Her comments about Sandra Fluke were disgusting and I guess I let my personal, political views color my opinion about her claims of sexual harassment. I must say after reading all the comments, including those about Hillary’s never-ending so called email scandal, you all have given me hope. When I read the article above, I admit to just a bit of schadenfreude that oozed from my nasty black heart. But, those of you who point out that being against her simply because she supported a horribly sexist, racist and bigoted institution is in some way the same thing blaming rape victims because of what they are wearing. I don’t like the woman but I hope she devastates Ailes and it would be really nice if she could take Fox down a notch.

      As far as the email “scandal,” the media needs to look up the word scandal. And OMG the absolute irony in the Republicans now investigating the investigation. Can we just vote these idiots out of office please?

  20. Veronica says:

    A highly conservative branch of media that espouses traditional gender roles in their politics enabling a culture of misogyny and sexual harassment? WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING.