Carlson reflects on her lawsuit and its impact
Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson says she has 'absolutely no regrets' about her sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes, which she filed in 2016. Carlson, who spent 11 years at Fox News and previously worked at CBS, said she 'immediately found purpose' after filing the complaint and has since dedicated herself to advocating for survivors' rights.
'I had no idea what was going to happen to me when I actually filed it 10 years ago,' Carlson said of her 6 July 2016 civil complaint. 'I thought I might be crying my eyes out for the rest of my life.' Instead, she found a new mission.
Lift Our Voices and legislative victories
Carlson, along with Julie Roginsky, who also sued Ailes, co-founded Lift Our Voices in 2019. The organization's main mission is to 'eradicate silencing mechanisms in the workplace,' including nondisclosure agreements and forced arbitration. Their efforts led to the passage of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, signed into law by then President Joe Biden in March 2022. This law gives sexual assault and harassment survivors the right to sue in court instead of being forced into private arbitration, and it applies retroactively.
Additionally, the bipartisan Speak Out Act, also signed by Biden in 2022, bars predispute nondisclosure and non-disparagement agreements for survivors and witnesses of sexual assault and harassment. This law applies to all contracts, past, present, and future, if the claim was filed after 7 December 2022, and invalidates existing agreements if no legal claim has been launched.
Ongoing work and mental health impact
Lift Our Voices is also working with researchers to assess the impact of these laws and the effect of silencing mechanisms on survivors. 'We, as Americans, have no idea what the mental health impact has been on people facing these kinds of experiences in their life, and on top of that, being silenced about it,' Carlson said. 'We know it can't be good.'
Carlson remains under a strict nondisclosure agreement and cannot discuss details of her case, but she finds satisfaction in helping others. 'I always say that I may never own my own story, because I'm still under a very stringent NDA, which is why I can't talk about the details of my case, but the work that I do every day is helping millions of people. It gives me great happiness to know that all of these other people have the possibility of getting justice.'
Details of the lawsuit
Carlson's lawsuit alleged that Ailes fired her after she rejected his sexual advances, claiming he 'sabotaged her career because she refused his sexual advances and [she] complained about severe and pervasive sexual harassment.' The suit stated that Ailes retaliated by reducing her assignments, removing her from Bill O'Reilly's show, and denying promotions, leading to her firing on 23 June 2016.
According to the complaint, Ailes directly propositioned Carlson during a meeting nine months before her firing, saying, 'I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you'd be good and better and I'd be good and better.' The suit also alleged that co-host Steve Doocy created a hostile work environment, treating her in a sexist and condescending manner, including placing his hand on her arm to shush her during a live telecast.
Carlson's lawsuit prompted numerous women to come forward against Ailes, leading to his departure and a reported $20m settlement paid by Fox News. Fox News declined to comment.
#MeToo movement and progress
Carlson credits survivors who came forward after her suit for the #MeToo movement, which held high-profile figures like Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, and R Kelly accountable. She rejects claims that #MeToo has failed, saying, 'The media should be held accountable for putting out headlines like that. It's very easy to write a headline, 'Me Too is dead' – maybe that gets more clicks and more eyeballs – but it's disingenuous to the movement.'
She insists that progress has been made and will be recognized in the future. 'In 100 years, people will recognize how much progress was made in so short a period of time. You have so many people working in this space who, like me, are relentless. I never give up on anything. Check back in with me in another 10 years, because I can hardly wait to tell you about the immense progress that we've made since 2026.'
