Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, seen right here in an interview on MSNBC, alleged there was a hostile setting riven by sexism and antisemitism when she labored on Tucker Carlson’s present.


MSNBC/Screenshot by NPR


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MSNBC/Screenshot by NPR

Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, seen right here in an interview on MSNBC, alleged there was a hostile setting riven by sexism and antisemitism when she labored on Tucker Carlson’s present.

MSNBC/Screenshot by NPR

Fox News paid $12 million on Friday to settle a former producer’s lawsuit claiming that Tucker Carlson’s present was an abusive place to work, outlined by bigotry, misogyny and bullying.

Abby Grossberg’s swimsuit helped set off Carlson’s ouster this spring. It additionally influenced the decision of a blockbuster defamation swimsuit introduced towards Fox by Dominion Voting Systems over 2020 election-fraud falsehoods.

“I am hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the Network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace,” she mentioned in a press release launched by her legal professional, Tanvir Rahman.

Grossberg, previously the chief booker of visitors for Carlson’s now-canceled present, alleged a hostile setting riven by sexism and antisemitism. In one occasion, she described photos plastered across the workplace exhibiting then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a washing swimsuit with a plunging neckline. In one other, she accused a supervisor of difficult staffers on two separate events to state which of two feminine candidates for the Michigan governor’s race they would like to have intercourse with.

She alleged that her boss on the present, Justin Wells, conceded she was paid lower than male counterparts. And, in keeping with her lawsuit, the gibes over her Jewish religion had been relentless.

At the crux of her swimsuit was the assertion that the tradition echoed Carlson’s personal sensibility – and the usually harshly sexist and racist remarks he made on his program. In an interview in late April, Grossberg instructed NPR that her complaints had been dismissed by a supervisor. “His response to me was, ‘We’re just following Tucker’s tone’,” she mentioned on Morning Edition. “And I do really believe that it all trickles down from the top.”

In an interview with MSNBC, she mentioned Carlson “made my life a living hell.”

Carlson instructed NPR after her swimsuit was filed, “I know nothing about her. I never met her.” Grossberg joined the present from Fox’s Maria Bartiromo’s group in September 2022; Carlson broadcasted remotely for the reason that outset of the pandemic. Grossberg disputes his declare, saying she continuously participated in group calls.

Grossberg additionally alleges male executives on the community continually belittled and demeaned feminine present hosts, together with Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.

“We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation,” Fox News mentioned in a press release launched by a spokesperson. The settlement additionally ends the authorized peril for Carlson, Wells and different Fox executives named in Grossberg’s lawsuit.

Grossberg was key to Fox’s fee of $787 million to settle defamation declare

In a separate swimsuit, since dismissed, Grossberg had alleged Fox’s authorized group had pressured her to lie in her sworn deposition within the Dominion swimsuit. Dominion’s attorneys questioned her below oath as they pursued a defamation case over Fox’s repeated broadcast of baseless claims that the voting-tech firm had helped rig the 2020 race towards then-President Donald Trump.

In her swimsuit, Grossberg mentioned she felt pressured to misinform defend Carlson when Dominion’s attorneys requested whether or not she was shocked that he had referred to certainly one of Trump’s feminine allies by a very vile and derogatory sexist time period.

Her lawsuit said, “Ms. Grossberg knew full well that Mr. Carlson was very capable of using such disgusting language about women.” And it added that “colleagues at Fox News spew misogynistic phrases at her (or within her earshot) on a constant basis.”

Fox outright denied her allegations of intimidation, although the choose within the case had repeatedly rebuked its attorneys for their tactics.

After being fired, Grossberg mentioned she held dozens of tapes of Fox journalists talking privately. On the eve of the defamation trial, she supplied to turn out to be a lead witness for Dominion.

The community subsequently softened its criticism of her and settled the Dominion case simply earlier than opening arguments by paying $787.5 million. As in Grossberg’s case, the general public disclosure of the monetary dimension of the settlement serves as a type of acknowledgement of wrongdoing. Fox didn’t apologize for the baseless claims unfold on its air, although in passive phrases it acknowledged that the court docket had deemed some statements inaccurate.

Per week later, it canceled Carlson’s program and has sparred with him over his subsequent plans to publish political commentaries on Twitter and different platforms. Fox is looking for to pay him till the top of his employment contract, which extends past the 2024 election, to maintain him on the sidelines.

A sizeable payout for a authorized declare of this nature

The amount of cash Fox has paid to Grossberg is notable.

“Holy cow,” Tom Wienner, a retired company litigator who has adopted the Fox instances at NPR’s request, mentioned in studying of the dimensions of the Grossberg settlement. “Fox is continuing to pay unusually large settlement amounts to try to get past the whole sad spectacle of its coverage of the aftermath of the 2020 election.

“Abby Grossberg not only made damning claims of sexism and antisemitism in Fox’s workplace, but also accused Fox’s lawyers of pressuring her to give evasive and false testimony in her Dominion deposition,” Wienner added. “Yet the story is far from over.”

Indeed, daunting authorized challenges nonetheless stay for Fox. Smartmatic, one other voting-tech firm, has its personal $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit towards Fox over claims of election fraud carefully linked to people who prompted Dominion’s case. The management of Fox Corp, Fox News’ guardian firm, faces fits involving disaffected shareholders as effectively.

Grossberg’s swimsuit raised questions on how significantly Fox’s office had advanced since earlier authorized threats. Lawsuits introduced over sexual harassment and misconduct at Fox led to the firings of the late Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and star hosts Bill O’Reilly and Ed Henry, amongst others.

Former Fox & Friends host Gretchen Carlson was paid $20 million to drop her personal swimsuit towards Ailes in 2016; She had taped the Fox chief’s sexual advances, which he denied till his loss of life the subsequent 12 months. Fox paid Ailes $40 million in severance. The final tally of its prices related to the bigger sexual harassment scandals neared $200 million.

Since that point, Fox News chief Suzanne Scott has emphasised publicly that she has instituted sweeping adjustments within the community’s office tradition. The community and Fox Corp. have amplified these statements of main reforms.

Grossberg’s claims problem how deeply they took root.

Fox seeks to clear the decks

Grossberg mentioned she would “continue to speak out on issues and causes that [she believes] in, including journalism, equality, dignity, and respect in the workplace.”

Rahman praised Grossberg in his personal remarks: “Abby is a trailblazer. It is my hope that today’s settlement announcement will inspire other women like her to come forward and tell the world their story.”

With the Grossberg settlement, introduced on the eve of a vacation weekend, Fox seems desirous to clear the decks as a lot as doable.

It has named a successor to Carlson’s former weeknight slot: Jesse Watters, who obtained his begin as a producer and disciple of the person Carlson changed in primetime, Bill O’Reilly. (Fox additionally moved the satiric conservative host Greg Gutfeld to 10 p.m., displacing Laura Ingraham and shifting her to the early night slot beforehand held by Watters.)

Like Carlson, Watters has been repeatedly accused of indulging in sexist and racist gibes. The community is hoping to shore up its primetime scores, which plunged after Carlson went off the air.

Wells, Carlson’s former govt producer, has stayed with him and is now engaged on his movies posted to Twitter. The community has swept out the remaining members of Carlson’s primetime crew.