After more than 20 women have accused Roger Ailes of sexual harassment, the man credited with building Fox News since its beginning in 1996 is resigning.
Former Fox host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against Ailes on July 6, claiming she was fired after refusing Ailes' sexual advances. Over the next several days, other women came into the light to share their accusations, according to Carlson's legal team. Some are speculating that Megyn Kelly's recent accusation was the last straw for Roger Ailes tenure at Fox.
The Guardian reports:
According to her [Gretchen Carlson's] legal team, the new accusations range in time from Ailes’s current tenure at Fox News all the way back to his role in the 60s as executive producer on The Mike Douglas Show . Almost all of the 20-plus women claim they experienced Ailes’s harassment firsthand. Only a handful reached out as witnesses. In a few cases, said spokesman John Garger, the accusations are as “severe” as those in Carlson’s lawsuit. He declined to share more details.
“The messages are still coming in,” he said.
Carlson’s 6 July lawsuit shocked the media world with claims that Ailes – one of the most powerful executives in media – sabotaged her career after she rebelled against his “constant and severe sexual harassment”. The 11-year anchor and former Miss America was removed from the highly rated Fox & Friends show in 2013 and fired from the network in June – two events Carlson claims were part of a series of retaliatory humiliations.
Rupert Murdoch did not detail the circumstances of Ailes' resignation in a press release from 21st Century Fox, instead praising Ailes for his contributions to the company.
"Roger Ailes has made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country," said Murdoch. "Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years.
"It is always difficult to create a channel or a publication from the ground up and against seemingly entrenched monopolies. To lead a flourishing news channel, and to build Fox Business, Roger has defied the odds."
Murdoch will take over Ailes' role as Chairman and acting CEO.
Read more at The Guardian.
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