It’s been a week since Roger Ailes was forced to resign from his position as Fox News chairman and CEO, following a lawsuit filed by former Fox and Friends personality Gretchen Carlson. The suit alleges multiple instances of sexual harassment, including that the former CEO fired Carlson for refusing to submit to his sexual demands. After her claims went public, a laundry list of other women have come forward with similar allegations, including Fox News golden girl Megyn Kelly.
In a new interview with the Washington Post‘s Margaret Sullivan — her first since Ailes’ ouster — Carlson “struggled to find words” to describe her reaction to her former boss’ firing. “At first, [I felt] satisfaction — or no, I think validation,” she said. But then, reflecting how long she’d had to put up with sexual harassment, she added, “I felt angry that it took so long.” When Sullivan asked Carlson if she had any regret over Ailes’ fate, she replied simply, “No.”
On the subject of Megyn Kelly’s revelation that Ailes had sexually harassed her as well, Carlson said, “I appreciated that she told the truth, and I know it was risky.” She added, however, that it was “the multitude of women” who came forward that made all the difference. “I thought I would be fighting this all by myself,” Carlson said.
When asked whether she thought her lawsuit would encourage other women to come forward about workplace harassment, Carlson was skeptical. “We’ve moved the conversation, but we haven’t changed the world in three weeks,” she said. “I don’t want to tell women they won’t be retaliated against.”
(Via Washington Post)