A Former Fox News Guest Comes Forward With Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Eric Bolling

This weekend, Fox News suspended host Eric Bolling following allegations that he sent lewd text messages to multiple female colleagues. Now, an accuser — a former Fox News guest named Caroline Heldman — has come forward to lodge accusations of alarming behavior (both on and off the air) on behalf of Bolling. Heldman, an Occidental College professor who frequently appeared on the cable news network between 2008 and 2011, penned a Facebook post to detail alleged sexism towards her from not only Bolling but Bill O’Reilly (who was ousted in April after details of his sexual harassment settlements went public) and former Fox executive Woody Fraser.

In her Facebook entry, Heldman calls out “wildly inappropriate” behavior on Bolling’s behalf. She recalls how he referred to her as “Dr. McHottie” on air while she referred to him as “Mr. McSexist,” and she says network executives were not concerned. While she briefly discusses her experiences with Fraser and O’Reilly, the alleged troubling behavior (which includes phone calls, texts, and invitations for “fun”) of Bolling takes center stage:

“Bolling would also contact me via phone and text after shows, sometimes to apologize for his behavior (and then do it again), and sometimes just to talk. He said he wanted to fly me out to New York for in-studio hits and to have “fun.” He asked me to have meals with him on several occasions, but I found excuses not to go. Once, he took me up to his office in New York, showed me his baseball jerseys, and in the brief time I was there, let me know that his office was his favorite place to have sex. I know other women have had similar experiences with Bolling, which means that lots of folks at Fox knew about his behavior well before 2017.”

Heldman also discusses how she witnessed troubling behavior from Fox News guests (including KISS’ Gene Simmons), particularly relating to alleged harassment against make-up artists for the network. She asks Fox executives to gather make-up artists’ statements in their ongoing probe of the workplace environment at the network, for these artists are contract workers who are often afraid to speak up, lest they never find work again.

At the end of her post, Heldman expresses hope that Fox News’ revamping of management will help turn the tide against such sexist behavior. Yet as one can imagine, she’s currently being attacked by Twitter trolls. Heldman insists that she’s pushed back against Bolling for years, and she thanks those who support her after this latest statement.

UPDATE #1: A Fox News spokesperson sent along the following statement this morning: “We are investigating this matter and all claims will be taken into account.”

UPDATE #2 – 4:45pm EST: New York magazine’s Yashar Ali notes that Bolling’s name has disappeared from the Fox News Specialists Twitter page.

(Via Caroline Heldman on Facebook)