Gretchen Carlson is advising women to document their sexual harassment. Mrs. Carlson, the former co-host of Fox & Friends, rattled the American media in July after she filed a lawsuit against Fox News and its then-CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment.
The details of the suit were kept under wrap – but it was revealed that Carlson claimed that she was harassed for a lengthy period. It was also revealed that the former host of The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson had recordings that proved her case.
Not long after the suit was filed, Ailes stepped down from his post with a golden parachute of several million and denied the allegations. Carlson, who also left the network, was eventually awarded a $20 million settlement and received an apology from the television network.
This week, she sat down for her first interview since the settlement was announced. During the exchange with Amy Robach on ABC’s 20/20, Carlson broke down in tears several times.
Carlson was a brilliant student in high school, a class valedictorian, an accomplished violinist, and was the winner of Miss America in 1989. She excelled at Stanford University and obtained a Bachelor of the Arts before starting to work as a reporter – where she was sadly sexually harassed for the first time. She confessed to Robach:
“I’d only been at this job for a few months. I didn’t want to cause any waves.”
When the former Fox News anchor was asked why does she think women take so long to report these incidents. Carlson said that she did not want to be a “troublemaker” or a “whistleblower.”
The former CBS News correspondent took the opportunity to ask Robach if she was ever sexually harassed in the workplace and she said yes but did not elaborate. Carlson said:
“Because look at how they react to women when they finally do come forward. They’re accused of making it up.”
Carlson went on to make a bold statement by explaining that she sees herself as a brave woman, who was violated and these things should not be happening. She said:
“I consider myself to be a pretty damn strong woman, and finding another job is not a realistic way to solve this problem. Women should not have to face this in the workplace, period.”
She went on to encourage other women, who are fighting the same war to stay calm and she encouraged them to “document” their experiences and added, “you should check laws in individual states.” She shared:
“We as a country have to come up with a solution for every one of them. That’s what I hope to at least start the discussion on.”
With tears running down her eyes, Carlson read several letters from women and men, who explained that her decision to speak up, has helped them or their relatives.