The Daily Beast has interviewed several women who, though they have requested anonymity, essentially back up Gretchen Carlson’s claim that Fox CEO Roger Ailes is a sexual predator.
In the wake of Gretchen Carlson’s legal complaint that she was fired because she refused to have sex with Ailes, several women have reportedly contacted Carlson’s attorneys to reveal their own, similar experiences at Fox. Fox’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, has announced that it is conducting an internal review and Ailes has vigorously denied Carlson’s accusations, saying Carlson was fired because of weak ratings.
However, The Daily Beast has found some disturbing similarities in anecdotes from other Fox News women. Author Lloyd Grove notes that “the bombshell litigation” could turn Ailes “into this year’s answer to Bill Cosby.”
“One time he asked me if I was wearing underwear, and was he going to see anything ‘good,’” said a former Fox News employee, who said she has spoken with other women at the network who said they were targets of Ailes’s sexually charged remarks. “It’s happened to me and lots of other women… He’s a disgusting pig who’s been getting away with this shit for 20 years.”
A second ex-employee, who also said Ailes verbally harassed her with inappropriate comments during one-on-one meetings, said the powerful and famously combative executive has so far escaped the consequences of his alleged behavior, because “when it comes to this issue, there’s already a conspiracy of silence. The problem is you don’t want to come forward because you don’t want to be personally and professionally destroyed. You don’t want to bring down Roger Ailes’s wrath on your head.”
[…]
A third former Fox News employee told The Daily Beast: “When I met Ailes he wouldn’t stop staring at my legs, and at one point he asked if I was single. I was taken aback and said yes. And he was like, ‘Oh, OK, so you’re not gonna get pregnant any time soon.’ And then he asked my age.
“And I think he could tell I was offended by the questions. And he said, ‘I know I’m not supposed to ask this—HR keeps telling me I can’t ask that because you can sue me because it’s illegal, but I don’t care. I’m [over 70] years old, if you wanna sue me, sue me.’”
It remains to be seen whether – pardon the pun – this story has enough legs to take down Ailes but it could.
You can watch the supercut of sexism that Carlson dealt with below, from Bloomberg Politics, via Media Matters.
I’m with John McKee – for quite awhile now, Antoinette has been telling us that Hannocchio’s worse nightmare is nigh and he’s about to get his comeuppance. But so far nada. Sooo, what’s the deal, Antoinette? :-]
I think Roger Ailes fate is in the hands of two sons who aren’t chummy with the old Richard M Nixon trainee.
Which headline works better?
1. Fox News CEO quits
2. Ailes out at Fox News
3. Ailes resigns as Fox News CEO
Coming down the pipeline:
1. Hannocchio’s worse nightmare.
2. Pedophile cafeteria Catholic.
3. Fox “News” exits and terminations.
4. Welcome the new CEO of Fox “News.”
5. Fox “News” transformation.
NOTE TO MASSES
Grab a big bucket of buttered popcorn. More people are coming forward against the Nixon Trainee. The numbers will grow, and GROW, and GROW! One mouthpiece at the Foxies is in serious trouble.
He’s rich. He’s powerful. So he got away with being a king sized a—hole. Until he didn’t and the only reason he didn’t here is Gretchen got fired. How much would she be willing to swallow [no pun intended] to keep her job?
Megyn Kelly was asked if wearing a short skirt while sitting behind a glass table bothered her. She shrugged it all off as the audience wanting to view the talent. She knew what was up. She knew about Fox’s infamous camera angle ‘leg shots.’ Of course, Megyn posed for cheesecake glamour shots so she probably is fine with giving Ailes [and his fellow dinosaur letch viewers] what he wants as long as he keeps his pants up.
You’re dealing with conservatives. The men think it’s the ’50s [pick a century] and any woman ascribing to the same ideology better know her place.
