Since former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit accusing Fox News CEO Roger Ailes of sexual harassment earlier this month, several Fox personalities have rushed to publicly defend their boss. Megyn Kelly, however, has stayed noticeably silent, leading one Fox News source to hypothesize that Kelly “wishes to be a feminist icon and doesn’t want to be on the wrong side of it.” Since Carlson went public with her allegations, six more women have come forward with similar claims.
Now, sources tell New York Magazine that Kelly may be keeping mum because she experienced Ailes’ unwanted advances herself. According to two sources, Kelly has told investigators hired by Fox News parent company 21st Century Fox that Ailes “made unwanted sexual advances toward her about ten years ago when she was a young correspondent at Fox.” According to the sources, Kelly has described Ailes’ harassment to investigators in great detail.
This may help to explain why Rupert Murdoch, after seeing early results of the investigation, has decided to oust Ailes from the company. Murdoch and his sons, Lachlan and James – who are co-chair and CEO of 21st Century Fox – are reportedly all in agreement that it is time for Ailes to leave the company. Kelly, who has seen her popularity skyrocket in the last year after sparring with Donald Trump, is currently in contract negotiations with the network, where her star keeps rising.
(Via New York Magazine)