We always had a sneaking suspicion that being a woman working at Fox News is no walk in the park, but yeesh, things just got taken to a whole new level.
Former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros filed a lawsuit earlier this week, joining more than 20 women who have alleged that they were sexually harassed by the network’s former CEO, Roger Ailes. But the papers filed by Tantaros expose a scene that goes far beyond just sexism.
Tantaros — who also claims that she was sexually harassed by The O’Reilly Factor host Bill O’Reilly — says in documents that the insidious behavior behind the scenes at Fox wasn’t limited to chauvinism, and Ailes was particularly nasty to women of color who worked for the network.
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According to The Root, Ailes had a habit of referring to controversial contributor Stacey Dash as “the black girl” and host Kimberly Guilfoyle as a “Puerto Rican whore.” In addition, Tantaros claims Ailes said Harris Faulkner of Fox Report and Outnumbered “has the tendency to look like the angry black woman.”
“Fox News masquerades as a 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,” Tantaros’ suit says, via The New York Times.
“Ailes did not act alone,” the documents state. “He may have been the primary culprit, but his actions were condoned by his most senior lieutenants, who engaged in a concerted effort to silence Tantaros by threats, humiliation and retaliation.”
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Among the other gems in the lawsuit is a claim that Tantaros was repeatedly told by executives that she could not wear pants at work because “Roger wants to see your legs,” and an allegation that Tantaros was quickly moved to a lower rated show after refusing to spin around so that Ailes could ogle her from behind.
Are you at all surprised by the claims made in Tantaros’ lawsuit?
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