FOX News is often advertised as a network for those with “Christian family values,” but its reputation has started to fall after being embroiled in a sex harassment scandal. As more women start to step forward and talk about their time at FOX, more of the network’s stars and executives are being condemned for their behavior. A new lawsuit filed by Andrea Tantaros points a finger at both CEO Roger Ailes and popular host Bill O’Reilly.
Tantaros’ lawsuit paints a sordid picture about the behind-the-scenes atmosphere of the supposedly conservative network. According to Tantaros, the network may “masquerade as defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.” Even if she does not win her lawsuit, it may be hard for FOX to recover from the damage to its reputation.
The beginning of Tantaros’ lawsuit against FOX shares countless degrading acts of sexism that she dealt with early on in her career. Instead of a dressing room, she had to change into her clothing for each show without even a curtain to hide behind. Ailes regularly required female employees to rotate in a circle so that he could view every angle of their body. This happened so often that people in FOX offices jokingly referred to it as “the twirl.” Tantaros was also touched inappropriately by guests on the show and other male employees. Though she tried to make complaints about this to her bosses, such as Executive William Shine who later went on to become co-president, she was ignored and dismissed.
All of this made Tantaros’ job difficult for her, but she says the last straw was when Bill O’Reilly and other executives joined in on the harassment. She had viewed O’Reilly as a mentor and friend, but he started constantly telling her that “he could see her as a wild girl,” and inviting her to a “very private” location on Long Island. When she complained, she was told that she could no longer appear on O’Reilly’s show. Further complaints by Tantaros lead to her losing her main role as host on “The Five,” and Tantaros alleges that social media accounts from FOX’s PR department were used to smear her reputation.
Tantaros’ allegations would be shocking enough on their own, but it seems that she is actually just one of many women to speak out against FOX. Her stories are corroborated by dozens of other female employees, and some of them are also filing lawsuits. Right before Tantaros’ lawsuit, former FOX host Gretchen Carlson also fired a suit against Roger Ailes. In the suit, Carlson points out that she was removed as a co-host from “Fox and Friends,” despite her extremely high ratings. Carlson says that this firing happened right after she rejected Ailes sexual advances.
All of the women who are finally speaking out against FOX have a few common themes in their stories. Many of these respected journalists put up with pervasive sexism for years, and they were eventually fired or demoted after refusing to sleep with one of the network executives or stars. With all of the negative attention focused on FOX, more people are beginning to criticize the news network’s sexist subjects and obnoxious behavior. Now that Tantaros, a well respected conservative journalist, has added her voice to these complaints, FOX may be forced to tone down a lot of its more problematic viewpoints.