Gretchen Carlson has given her first interview since filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes.
Talking for the first time about her suit against the Fox News chairman in an interview with The New York Times, Carlson explained part of her motivation was standing up for other women who have faced similar scenarios as herself.
“I wanted to stand up for other women who maybe faced similar circumstances,” Carlson explained.
As Us Weekly previously reported, Carlson filed her suit on Wednesday, July 6. The political commentator, 50, claims she was fired from Fox News on June 23 after a successful 11-year tenure, after she rejected Ailes' sexual advances.
Ailes swiftly slammed the accusations, and in a statement to Us insisted Carson's allegations were totally "false." "[This] is a retaliatory suit for the network’s decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup," the statement read.
During this latest interview, Carlson answered questions with the help of her attorneys Nancy Erika Smith and Martin Hyman. She said that she had had six to 10 meetings with Ailes during her time at Fox, to discuss his “continuous” sexist language.
“Everyone knew how powerful Roger Ailes was. I certainly felt intimidated by that,” Carlson added.
When questioned about a series of handwritten notes Carlson had sent to Ailes in late 2015, asking for additional opportunities at Fox, the TV news personality explained she always lived in hope that the situation would improve.
“I think it’s hard when you’ve been a victim — you keep thinking things are going to get better,” Carlson explained.
And while she consulted her lawyers on many questions, when asked what she hoped to achieve by bringing the suit, Carlson was clear, and spoke without hesitation. “To stand up for what happened to me and what was the truth,” she said.
In a statement released to Us Weekly, a Fox News spokesperson said that Carlson “never filed a formal complaint about sexual harassment to the H.R. department or to the legal department.”
