Research/Study
The Sexual Harassment At Fox As Reported By The Press Throughout The Years
Written by Cristina LĂłpez G.
Published
A timeline depicting the reports of sexual harassment many women with professional careers at Fox News have made about powerful network figures over the years shows a pattern of corporate retaliation, victim-blaming, and million-dollar payouts for silence.
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2002: Unidentified Intern
Reports About Roger Ailes: A woman who chose to not identify herself for fear of retaliation from former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes told The Washington Post that in May of 2002, when she was just 20 years old, she got an internship working for Ailes. During her brief stint there, Ailes made her get him a copy of the adult content magazine Maxim and started making inappropriate comments that left her uncomfortable enough to quit âafter only a few weeks.â From the July 22 article:
âAt first it was once a week,â she said. âThen it got to be every day.â
She said she quit after only a few weeks.
âWhen I told him I was leaving, he said he was sorry I was leaving and that he was really disappointed that I didnât sleep with him,â she recalled. âHe said, âYou could have gotten anything you wanted.ââ
âAnd then he grabbed me,â she said, âand grabbed my ass.â [The Washington Post, 7/22/16]
2004: Unidentified Employee
Reports About Ailes: Another Fox News employee who spoke with the Post âon the condition of anonymityâ said that Ailes offered to help her with her professional development and suggested that she âhave a drink with him alone at a hotelâ and âtried to kiss her.â From the July 22 article:
A similar pattern appears in the allegations of another woman, a former Fox News employee, who says she was harassed by Ailes in 2004. The woman, who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity, says Ailes and an assistant offered to pay for her professional development and introduced her to a talent agent.
In Ailesâs office one day, she says, Ailes suggested the woman have a drink with him alone at a hotel. She says he asked her, âDo you know how to play the game?â
He tried to kiss her, she recalled.
âHe was touching me,â she said. âI got out of there as quickly as I could.
She says she was traumatized and couldnât sleep. Later, she told him that she wouldnât meet him at the hotel. Her professional development opportunities then disappeared, she said. [The Washington Post, 7/22/16]
2004: Andrea Mackris
Reports About Bill OâReilly: In 2004, former producer of The OâReilly Factor Andrea Mackris sued the programâs host, Bill OâReilly, for making âunwanted sexual advances and lewd comments in a series of phone calls and dinner conversations.â As explained by Mackrisâ suit, OâReilly also âtold her on multiple occasions to buy a vibrator,â as well as calling her âwhen it sounded as if he was masturbating.â Mackris kept recordings of some of the conversations. [The New York Times, 1/10/17, 4/1/17]
Foxâs Reaction: Sued Mackris Pre-emptively, Accusing Her Of Extortion; Retained Private Investigator To Find Information On Her; And Hired A PR Firm To Shape The Narrative Against Her. Both the network and OâReilly went after Mackris, suing her pre-emptively for âseeking to extort $60 million in return for not going public with âscandalous and scurrilousâ claims about him.â The network also paid private investigator and former network contributor Bo Dietl âto dig up informationâ on her, and hired a public relations firm âto help shape the narrative in Mr. OâReillyâs favorâ by portraying Mackris in tabloids âas a promiscuous woman, deeply in debt, who was trying to shake down Mr. OâReilly.â [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
Status: Fox Settled For $9 Million. As reported by The New York Times:
After two weeks of sensational headlines, the two sides settled, and Mr. OâReilly agreed to pay Ms. Mackris about $9 million, according to people briefed on the agreement. The parties agreed to issue a public statement that âno wrongdoing whatsoeverâ had occurred. [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
2005: Kim Weiler
Reports About Joe Chillemi: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Fox News in 2005 on behalf of former Fox employee Kim Weiler. Weiler filed a complaint that Joe Chillemi, then-vice president at Fox, âsexually harassed and subjected Weiler and other women to a hostile work environment, routinely using obscenities and vulgarities to describe women or their body parts,â and Weiler was subsequently the victim of retaliation from the network. The EEOC suit also mentions Chillemi making âa number of derogatory comments about pregnant women,â and saying that he would always pick a man over a woman when it came to hiring. [NBC News, 11/7/05]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: Neither Fox News Nor News Corp. Addressed The Issue With The Press. From NBC News:
A spokesman at News Corp. and a spokeswoman at Fox News didnât immediately return phone calls seeking comment late Monday. [NBC News, 11/7/05]
Status: Fox Settled The Suit For $225,000. As reported by The Washington Post, Fox agreed to pay $225,000 to settle the EEOC suit. [The Washington Post, 8/1/06]
2006: Unidentified Employee
Reports About Ailes. A woman who âspoke only on the condition of anonymityâ told New York magazineâs Gabriel Sherman that around 2006, Laurie Luhn -- formerly a protegee of Ailes' who also eventually reported being harassed by him -- âsent her to an after-hours meeting with Ailes in his office.â Ailes asked about her shoes and commented, âWomen who like shoes also like lingerie.â The unidentified employee âfound the conversation highly inappropriate and uncomfortable. Ailes tried to hug her and she left the meeting shaken.â [New York, 7/29/16]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: The Unidentified Employee Was Fired. The woman told Sherman that a few months after the harassment episode, Luhn fired her. [New York, 7/29/16]
Status: The Unidentified Employee âHired A Lawyer And Signed A Settlement With Fox.â [New York, 7/29/16]
2006: Rudi Bakhtiar
Reports About Brian Wilson And Ailes: According to New York magazineâs Sherman, former Fox News reporter Rudi Bakhtiar was fired from the network following her complaint that Brian Wilson, a former Fox News Washington bureau chief, had âmade unwanted sexual advances toward her.â As reported by The New York Times, Wilson promised Bakhtiar a job as a full-time correspondent in Washington, DC, and then told her he wanted âto see the inside of [her] hotel room.ââ Bakhtiar told Sherman that Ailes also made âunwanted sexual comments during her first interview in 2005,â asking her to stand up because he wanted to see her legs. Following Wilsonâs harassment, Bakhtiar reported him to the networkâs human resource department. [New York, 7/23/16, The New York Times, 7/23/16]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: The Network Fired Bakhtiar. After rejecting Wilsonâs advances, Ailes told Bakhtiar she was being let go because they didnât âthink [she was] a good reporterâ and that her firing had ânothing to do withâ her rejecting Wilsonâs advances. [New York, 7/23/16]
Status: Settled For $670,000 After Mediation And Signing A Nondisclosure Agreement. As reported by Sherman, Bakhtiarâs lawyer sent a letter to Fox News âsaying that she had been unlawfully treated and terminated, citing a hostile environment of sexual harassment, quid pro quo sexual harassment, and retaliation.â Despite recommendations from her lawyer to take her case to court, she felt like âshe didnât have the strength to fight Foxâ and settled for $670,000 (the remaining money on her contract) after the mediator ruled in her favor and instructed Fox to cover her legal fees, which Bakhtiar said âwere enormous.â [New York, 7/23/16]
2011: Laurie Luhn
Reports About Ailes: Laurie Luhn, a former booker for Fox News whom Ailes personally hired and brought to Fox News, told New York magazineâs Gabriel Sherman that over the span of more than 20 years beginning in 1991, Ailes made her dance, get on her knees and perform oral sex, and meet him regularly for sexual encounters in hotels, sometimes recording her without her consent. He also demanded âphone sex in the officeâ and instructed Luhn to ârecruit young women for him,â telling her, âYouâre going to find me whores.â Luhn said that besides sexually harassing her, Ailes also âpsychologically torturedâ her, causing her great emotional distress that affected her work, eventually causing a mental breakdown. [New York, 7/29/16]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: Ailes âVehemently Deniedâ The Accusations, Had Fox Executives Handle Luhnâs Mental Breakdown, Monitor Her Outgoing Emails, And âWork Out A Settlement.â Ailes had Foxâs then-Vice President Bill Shine and his deputy, Suzanne Scott, handle Luhnâs mental breakdown, which they did by checking her into hotels in Texas and New York under Scottâs name. Ailes also had Shine review Luhnâs outgoing emails. Luhn reportedly wrote about Ailes sexually harassing her in a letter to Fox lawyer Dianne Brandi âin late 2010 or early 2011.â From the July 29 article:
Brandi did not acknowledge receipt of the letter, but, according to a source, she asked Ailes about the sexual-harassment allegations, which he vehemently denied. Ailes, according to the source, told Brandi to work out a settlement. Luhn hired an attorney to negotiate her exit from Fox. [New York, 7/29/16]
Status: Fox Settled For $3.15 Million. Luhn received $3.15 million from a settlement agreement that barred her from taking Fox to court. From the July 29 article:
On June 15, 2011, Luhn and Brandi signed a $3.15 million settlement agreement with extensive nondisclosure provisions. The settlement document, which Luhn showed me, bars her from going to court against Fox for the rest of her life. It also precludes her from speaking to government authorities like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the FBI. Not to mention the press. [New York, 7/29/16]
2011: Rebecca Gomez Diamond
Reports About OâReilly. Former Fox Business host Rebecca Gomez Diamond made recordings of her phone conversations with OâReilly prior to her 2011 departure from the network. Her lawyers later used them to report O'Reilly to the network. [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: Fox Made Gomez Diamond Sign A Confidentiality Agreement Before Leaving The Network. [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
Status: OâReilly Settled With Gomez Diamond. As reported by the Times, two sources with knowledge of the agreement said OâReilly paid an unknown sum to Diamond, with the payment becoming known to Foxâs parent organization only in âlate 2016.â [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
2016: Laurie Dhue
Reports About OâReilly and Ailes: In 2016, former Fox News anchor Laurie Dhue, who left Fox in 2008 after working there for eight years, had her lawyers contact the network to âoutline her harassment claimsâ about OâReilly and Ailes. [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: The Reports Were Not Made Public At The Time. [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
Status: The Networkâs Parent Company, 21st Century Fox, Settled With Dhue For âOver $1 Million.â Sources âbriefed on the complaintsâ recently revealed to The New York Times that Foxâs parent company, 21st Century Fox, had agreed to pay Dhue âover $1 millionâ to settle. [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
2016: Tamara N. Holder
Reports About Francisco Cortes: Fox News contributor Tamara N. Holder said Francisco Cortes, former vice president of Fox News Latino, tried âto force her to perform oral sex on him in February 2015 when the two were alone in his office.â [The New York Times, 3/8/17]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: Cortes Was Terminated And Holder Left The Network After Her Contract Expired. Holder reported Cortesâ conduct to the network in the fall of 2016. Cortes was terminated after Fox investigated Holderâs claims. She left the network after her contract expired on January 1, 2017. [The New York Times, 3/8/17]
Status: Fox Settled For $2.5 Million. [The New York Times, 3/8/17]
2016: Gretchen Carlson
Reports About Ailes And Steve Doocy: On July 6, 2016, former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit detailing how Ailes and Steve Doocy -- co-host of Fox & Friends -- made âsexually-charged commentsâ and were âsexist and condescendingâ toward her, respectively. In her lawsuit, Carlson also mentioned that Ailes made âdemands for sex as a way to improve her job standing.â [Vanity Fair, 7/6/16; The Washington Post, 7/22/16]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: Ailes Denied The Accusations And Accused Carlson Of Retaliating For Not Having Her Contract Renewed. As reported by Deadline Hollywood, Ailes responded by denying the accusations and calling the lawsuit a âretaliatory suit for the networkâs decision not to renew her contract.â He also mentioned the âon-air opportunities over her 11 year tenureâ that Fox had provided Carlson for which she thanked him in her book. 21st Century Fox also issued a corporate statement, in which it committed to do âan internal review,â but at the same time, it declared to have âfull confidenceâ in the accused. From the July 8 article:
âThe Company has seen the allegations against Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy,â the statement said. âWe take these matters seriously. While we have full confidence in Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy, who have served the company brilliantly for over two decades, we have commenced an internal review of the matter.â [Deadline Hollywood, 7/6/16; CNN, 7/8/16]
Status: Fox Settled For $20 Million. The network and Carlson reached a $20 million settlement in September 2016. [Vanity Fair, 9/6/16]
2016: Megyn Kelly
Reports About Ailes: New York magazineâs Gabriel Sherman reported that following Carlsonâs lawsuit against Ailes, then-Fox anchor Megyn Kelly told investigators of the law firm Paul, Weiss who were conducting an internal review that Ailes had âmade unwanted sexual advances toward herâ earlier in her career and âdescribed her harassment by Ailes in detail.â [New York, 7/19/16]
Foxâs Reaction: The Network Denied The Harassment, And Fox Figures, Including OâReilly, Attacked Kelly In The Press. As reported by The Daily Beast, the network put out a statement denying that Ailes had ever harassed Kelly and saying, âIn fact, he has spent much of the last decade promoting and helping her achieve the stardom she earned, for which she has repeatedly and publicly thanked him.â As explained by New York magazine, Ailes retaliated by attempting to discredit Kelly in the media and having his spokesperson, Irena Briganti, criticize Kelly to the press by âsaying she is selfish to not stand up for the man who gave her career opportunities.â Months later, OâReilly responded to Kelly's reports by telling the hosts of CBSâ This Morning that he wasnât interested in reports of sexual harassment at Fox because it made his ânetwork look bad.â That same night, OâReilly attacked Kelly during his show by saying that if she didnât like what was âhappening in the workplace,â she should âgo to Human Resources or leave.â He also said that the reports of sexual harassment were attempts to undermine Fox and that âif somebody is paying you a wage, you owe that person or company allegiance.â [The Daily Beast, 7/19/16; New York; 7/19/16; Media Matters, 11/15/16]
Status: Kellyâs Reports Of Sexual Harassment Forced The Murdochs To Let Ailes Go With A Contract Buyout Of Over $40 Million, And Eventually Kelly Signed A Contract With NBC. Before the internal review regarding sexual harassment within Fox was completed, the conservative Drudge Report broke the news that Ailes was leaving Fox with a â$40+ million parachute.â According to Newsweek, Kelly was a factor in the Murdochsâ decision to let Ailes go. Kelly eventually decided to accept NBCâs $18 million contract over Foxâs reported $20 million offer and switched networks. [Media Matters, 7/19/16; Newsweek, 1/10/17]
2016: Andrea Tantaros
Reports About Ailes And OâReilly: Former Fox host Andrea Tantaros filed a lawsuit on August 22, 2016, detailing the sexual harassment of her by Ailes. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Tantaros said Ailes repeatedly harassed her âbeginning in the late summer of 2014,â demanding that âshe turn around so he could get a better look at her bodyâ and saying things like, âI bet you look good in a bikini.â Though she didnât name OâReilly as a defendant, Tantaros detailed in the lawsuit how he harassed her by âasking her to come to stay with him on Long Island where it would be 'very private,' and (b) telling her on more than one occasion that he could 'see [her] as a wild girl,' and that he believed that she had a 'wild side.'â Tantarosâ psychologist Michele Berdy also filed an affidavit in which she ârecalled âa number of occasions when Andrea complained to me about recurring unwanted advances from Bill OâReilly.â [The Hollywood Reporter, 8/23/16; The New York Times, 4/1/17]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: The Network Accused Tantaros Of Being âAn Opportunistâ And Eventually Offered Her A âSeven-Figure Deal To Settle The Lawsuit.â Following Tantarosâ claims, The New York Times reported that Fox claimed it investigated the reports and found them baseless and accused her of publishing a book that âviolated company policy.â The network also accused her of being âan opportunist.â Fox eventually offered her a âseven-figure deal to settle the lawsuit,â which she refused in order to litigate the case in court. [The New York Times, 4/1/17; Media Matters, 10/4/16]
Status: Lawsuit Pending. Tantaros rejected an offer of ânearly $1 million for her silence and a promise not to sue the network, its executives or its employees, including Mr. OâReilly, according to a draft of a proposed agreement.â [The New York Times, 1/10/17]
2016: Juliet Huddy
Reports About OâReilly And Jack Abernethy: Former Fox News host Juliet Huddy reported OâReilly and Fox News then-executive Jack Abernethy for sexual misconduct âweeks afterâ Ailes' July 2016 ouster from the network. She said OâReilly âpursued a sexual relationship with her in 2011â and reacted to her rejection by trying to âderail her career.â As detailed by Huddy, OâReilly called her repeatedly and at times it âsounded as if he was masturbating.â He also invited her to his Long Island property and to his hotel room, where he âappeared at the door in his boxer shorts.â As for Abernethy, âhe started âtrashing herâ after she rejected his attempts to pursue a personal relationship.â [The New York Times, 1/10/17]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: The Network Denied The Reports Of Sexual Harassment, Named Abernethy President And Gave Him A Multiyear Contract. Fox News and OâReillyâs lawyer denied Huddyâs reports, while giving Abernethy a multiyear contract and promoting him to be the networkâs co-president. [The New York Times, 1/10/17]
Status: Fox Settled For âA Sum In The High Six Figures.â As reported by The New York Times, 21st Century Fox and Huddy reached an agreement on September 5, 2016. From the January 10 article:
She was paid a sum in the high six figures, according to people briefed on the agreement. The agreement was between Ms. Huddy, 47, and 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News.
[...]
As part of Ms. Huddyâs confidential agreement with 21st Century Fox, she agreed not to âdisparage, malign or defameâ the parties; the company, on its behalf and on the behalf of Mr. OâReilly and Mr. Abernethy, agreed not to âdisparage, malign or defameâ Ms. Huddy.
The consequences for breaking confidentiality are severe, costing either side $500,000 per infringement, according to the document. Ms. Huddy is also liable if her lawyers or a person close to her discloses the terms of the agreement. [The New York Times, 1/10/17]
2017: Wendy Walsh
Reports About OâReilly: Former Fox News contributor Wendy Walsh told the Times that OâReilly had made inappropriate advances to her in 2013 and, after being rejected, âreneged on a promise to get her a job at the network.â [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: The Network Defended OâReilly And Tried To Discredit Walsh. The network did not address Walshâs specific reports of sexual harassment about OâReilly but defended the long-time Fox host in a written statement to the Times:
â21st Century Fox takes matters of workplace behavior very seriously,â the statement said. âNotwithstanding the fact that no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about Bill OâReilly, even anonymously, we have looked into these matters over the last few months and discussed them with Mr. OâReilly. While he denies the merits of these claims, Mr. OâReilly has resolved those he regarded as his personal responsibility. Mr. OâReilly is fully committed to supporting our efforts to improve the environment for all our employees at Fox News.â [The New York Times, 4/1/17]
On April 3, Walsh revealed to CNNâs Don Lemon that the network had released the emails she had sent OâReilly in a clear attempt to discredit her reports. She explained she had sent those in an effort to get the job she had been promised: âFox released some of my cringe-worthy suckup emails today, because I thought if I can just be professional, if I can just be polite, if can just talk through his assistant then he'll understand that I am not a threat. I am not going to sue him and he will give me the job he promised." [CNN Money, 4/4/17]
Status: Walsh Has Stated Sheâs Not Interested In Getting Money. During her appearance on CNNâs CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, Walsh told the host, âI want to be clear, Iâm not after money.â She clarified that her reason to go public was to work towards a ânon-toxic work environmentâ for the future. [Media Matters, 4/4/17]
2017: Julie Roginsky
Reports About Ailes, Shine, And Diane Brandi: On April 3, as explained by NPR, Fox News political commentator Julie Roginsky filed a lawsuit against Ailes, Shine, and Ailesâ lawyer Diane Brandi, claiming Ailes âmade unwanted sexual advances while leading her to believe that a big promotion would follow.â New York magazineâs Sherman reported that Roginskyâs lawyers were also filing a complaint with New York Human Rights Commission, ârequesting it conduct [an] investigation of Fox News.â [NPR, 4/3/17; Twitter, 4/4/17]
Fox Newsâ Reaction: Fox Has Not Addressed Roginskyâs Lawsuit, But Ailes' Lawyer Called The Reports âTotal Hogwash.â As reported by CNNâs Tom Kludt, as of April 3, the network had yet to comment on the lawsuit. But Susan Estrich, Ailesâ attorney, stated to CNNMoney that Roginsky's âdescription of meetings that she supposedly had with Roger Ailes are total hogwashâ and that âthe idea that Mr. Ailes would pressure Ms. Roginsky or any other women to have sexual relations with him is total nonsense. In short, this copycat complaint is not about discrimination or retaliation. This is about someone who wants to pile-on in a massive character assassination in order to achieve what she did not accomplish on the merits." [CNN Money, 4/3/17]
Status: Pending.