Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Former Fox News host files lawsuit claiming retaliation after accusing Roger Ailes of sexually harassing her.

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

Andrea Tantaros, a former Fox News host, charged in a lawsuit filed Monday that top executives at the network, including the man who replaced Roger Ailes, punished her for complaining about sexual harassment by Mr. Ailes. 

The suit by Ms. Tantaros, filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, is the latest round in a contentious volley that began in late winter, when Fox claimed she had breached her employment contract by writing a book without receiving network approval. 

“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,” Ms. Tantaros’s suit says.

Here was Tantaros's description of her experiences with Roger Ailes:  

The lawsuit goes on to say that on Aug. 12, 2014, Mr. Ailes called her into his office and asked if she was planning to marry and have children. “Ailes then started complaining about marriage in general, and also made off-color jokes about being married,” the lawsuit states. It describes Mr. Ailes as speculating on the sexual habits and preferences of 10 Fox News personalities. 

He asked Ms. Tantaros to turn around “so I can get a good look at you,” the lawsuit charges, adding that Ms. Tantaros refused. Soon after, she was moved from “The Five” to a lower-rated show, “Outnumbered,” that aired at midday.

Mr. Ailes called her back for similar sessions in December 2014 and February 2015, the lawsuit charges, and when she continued to rebuff him, she encountered hostility from the Fox News publicity department. In the February meeting, she said, Mr. Ailes talked about how she would look in a bikini, and accused her of ending a long-term relationship because she had been merely using the man. The episode brought her to tears, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also claims that Bill O'Reilly sexually harassed Tantaros as well, which I imagine is probably true of most of the women now speaking out about sexual harassment at Fox News.

I love this quote:

“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.”

Do you know that segment of Real Time "I don't know it for a fact, I just know it's true?"

For me this falls into that category.

I ALWAYS got the feeling that the women of Fox News were seen as nothing more than window dressing and that they were either being sexually harassed constantly or that they were in fact trading sexual favors to further their careers.

I didn't know it for a fact, I just knew it was true.

Now if you will excuse me I have to take another one of those "covering sexual harassment at Fox News hot showers" to cleanse myself.

65 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:36 AM

    I hate to say it but I'm having a really hard time feeling sorry for these women, because they knew that what they were doing was fuel for Ailes and the other assholes to continue doing what they were doing... all for the sake of money. Makes me ill.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:59 AM

      NO, they kept quiet so they had a paycheck and wouldn't be blacklisted from any journalism jobs in the future. I think you need to study a bit on what happens when a woman files a sexual harassment lawsuit or even files a complaint inside a company, her career ends.
      Now please tell me about what you would be willing to end your chances of ever being employed again over?

      Delete
    2. This sounds like Trump's solution -- Women can just quit.

      Doesn't address the issue: what makes some men think they can threaten women with dismissal if they don't sexually capitulate?

      Here is one more workplace horror that Trump legitimizes and condones. What a pig.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous1:06 PM

      Playboy has a misogynistic indecent culture? Say it isn't so...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous2:26 PM

      11:36am

      You don't need to "hate to say" anything. These women signed up for it, they knew what was coming and they contractually obligated themselves to this culture of sexual harassment and aggression.

      Nothing to feel bad about, they knew, and I guess reality didn't match what they assumed life under a patriarchal, sexually-aggressive, male-dominated news channel would be like, especially one that made you wear low cut tops and short skirts in order to earn your paycheck?

      Hello!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous4:29 PM

      Hey when I became an engineer in 1973 I knew what I signed up for. Sure I was working on improving jet engines, I knew what life would be like in a "patriarchal, sexually-aggressive, male-dominated" industry. But dammit, I needed the paycheck.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous7:50 PM

      And how does that not come down to "for the sake of money".

      Career? Either fight for it or get another one, don't roll over like a bloody hooker.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous11:57 AM

    What an intetesting comment from a guy who promoted Mercede Johnston's Playboy pictorial. And a guy who probably won't publish this comment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not at all sure how that is related to this, unless you are deluding yourself into thinking that Mercede was tricked or forced into making her choice.

      Trust me that was not the case.

      As for her decision I thought it was quite brave, and brought factual information about Sarah Palin to a whole new audience that none of us were reaching.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:22 PM

      People get off on seeing semi decent looking regular people willing to sell their goods for a little cash flashed in front of their eyes. Playboy picked up on this niche 30 years ago.

      Nobody read or retained anything she had to say. I'm sure the money is long gone too.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous2:00 PM

      1:22pm

      I just wish that she would have had some sort of agent that would have gotten her more than just a few thousand bucks after taxes for baring it all.

      And you are correct, I had no idea that there was any "story" associated with her pictorial, if there was, just like you I don't remember any major revelations.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous2:23 PM

      I bet that Bristol's mom wished she had been more cooperative 'cause with the family values Palins hold dear, they got short changed, didn't they? (Mom's legs weren't good enough and false tits and ass don't count.)
      And no one, but no one would ask those bovine Valley girls to be in Playboy, much less a centerfold.
      Nothing to interview past an "awesome" or "duh!"

      Delete
  3. Anonymous11:58 AM

    Don't feel sorry for her, as she didn't represent women in the workplace, who really are harassed. Tantaros made her choice and that was to stay with big pay, until they got rid of her.

    There had to be other reasons than her not delivering to Ailes, that she quit or was fired. She was a very nasty individual who enjoyed presenting Fox News' status quo, for privileges, perks, and fame. Too late for her to play victim now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:55 PM

      So you think women who are sexually harassed at work should just quit? Nothing like blaming the victims. Sorry, many of us who have been in that situation don't have a choice, we need our paychecks to feed our families and pay our bills.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:33 PM

      I know women are not treated fairly or with empathy and nor taken seriously.
      Many management types do not know or recognize Sexual or any other type of harassment unless the person spells it out. They !ay also be the predator! Duh,OK you said "sexual harassment"
      Then it all goes downhill for the victim.
      Having said that? Tantaros has spewed her hateful rhetoric happily for a long time.I would say her SA claim is highly suspect?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous1:53 PM

      I know nothing about this woman, but let's say for the sake of argument that she was mean, vicious, unpleasant, incompetent. Does that make it right for men at the company to make lewd suggestions or ask for sex favors or she gets demoted? If she was a jerk, those men could have done their job, written it up (at the time, not now), and fired or demoted her for cause.

      Turn the tables: what unfair harrassment of a similar kind do men have to endure in the workplace?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous2:02 PM

      She could have worn less revealing clothing, or hey, decided to actually tell the truth in her position regarding current news, but instead she dressed suggestively, lied on a regular basis about things that were easily fact-checked and acted like an all around braindead whore, so really, what's to feel sorry for?

      She asked, and then she got and now she has a sad...mmm her tears are so sweet :-)

      Delete
    5. 66gardeners2:42 PM

      I have no doubt Tantaros was harassed. Given how despicable she acted on TV, it is hard to find any sympathy for her. She certainly wasn't likeable, and she showed contempt for those less fortunate.

      Keep in mind that the harassment at Fox News was a well-oiled machine. The women had signed contracts to settle these types of complaints with arbitration. They had to have known that they would be given a settlement to quit if they signed a nondisclosure agreement.

      The way this has turned out shows just how smart is Gretchen Carlson. I hope Fox News goes bankrupt.

      Delete
  4. Fox News men, in my mind, are sexual harrassers/predators, just as priests are pedophiles, all goodie-two-shoes Duggans are incestuous.

    I know, tarring all with the same brush, but how many stories, lawsuits, rehab frauds, liars must we see before we dismiss them all as hypocrites of the first water. Family values, Christians...give me a friggin' break.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Her, and her female colleagues at FOX gave validity to the misogyny that goes with the word TWATS. Sorry, but truth hurts.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous12:13 PM

    You think this is bad? When you have the time check out what life in Wasilla is like for the Marine that Bristol Palin married. I thought it was a little place in a beautiful setting where Bristol went home to be near family. That was where she and Tripp could feel safe. I guess not. Not even married to a trained killer and protector will make anyone safe in that place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:58 PM

      Wha?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:19 PM

      Dakota Meyer posts everyday. Most of it is other people that have quotes everyone can relate to. He also does things selling that guns, equipment, he is a get vets jobs speaker and he is a father with a cute kid. He still has a mountain of fear and paranoia about ISIS. the latter seems to be the center of his life and his reason for being who he is. It all mixes together since it is the reason he has to protect his family. They are everywhere and he has taunted them to come to his house. It is damn scary. Be glad your daughter is not married to him and you don't have any grandkids that hang out with him.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous2:23 PM

      Dakota, Bristol all of them are just morons with guns. The least of our problems here in Wasilla is ISIS. Our biggest problem in Wasilla and the entire surrounding area is uneducated morons like Bristol, Dakota and their extended families having arsenals to protect themselves against imaginary threats.

      Their biggest threat is the fact that they all party WAY to hard and have WAY too many guns.

      None of this will end well for these morons.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous3:17 PM

      Meyer made it clear that there is a threat. He has to gear up while he is at home. Wasilla is under siege.

      You know how the media is, they won't report the facts. If tourists knew, they would avoid that area. Family would not visit their relations in Wasilla or the Mat-Su.

      Dakota is going to have a profound effect on the area since he is the only one telling how it is. It also explains why Sarah Palin and family watch so much television, they can't leave their house. They all are forced to live as if prisoners. Now we get it why Track needs assault weapons. Like Dakota they have to strap them to their body or in a nearby drawer or on the counter tops. Guns have to be everywhere. Track was not making that part up.

      It sounds like ISIS won at the Palin household. They must all be 24/7 scared to death.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous4:33 PM

      Tourists would avoid Wasilla because it looks just like the strip-malled town they came from.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous5:22 PM

      Meyer thinks he is in Roanoke, Virginia, where connections with the Islamic State have surfaced.

      I live in an area with many Muslims. For the most part they are like everyone else, they have their culture and they dress as they like. Our community is not on high alert about connections to the Islamic State. Is that common in many places in the states to be on alert like that?

      I am curious about Alaska since it is brought to our attention that Dakota Meyer is new to the state and it seems there is a problem.

      Was there a problem before Dakota Meyer moved to Alaska, or is this now that he lives there and he is publishing that there is a problem?

      He says 'This is just one more reason I carry every day. #NeverOutgunned' he posts an article about a beheading headline and ISIS connection. That is the one more reason he carries every day. Previously he posted himself with a holster product, a gun by a baby and he was suiting up at home where he carries.

      Is he just delusional and thinking he lives in Roanoke? Is Wasilla the connection where the Islamic State surfaces?

      Dakota is the same idiot, when in Kentucky taunted ISIS. I doubt they know who he is, but one of the insane that get riled by targets other idiots promote might pay attention to him.
      http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/12/04/23B85B1200000578-2859972-image-a-30_1417653186908.jpg

      Delete
  7. Anonymous12:22 PM


    Former Host Andrea Tantaros Implicates Entire Newsroom... ‘Steeped In Intimidation, Indecency and Misogyny’... Alleges Harassment By O’Reilly... Says Former Senator Scott Brown Made ‘Sexually Inappropriate Comments’... Claims Ailes Attempted Hush-Up... At Least 20 Accusers So Far... MEANWHILE: Ailes Gets Cozy With Donald Trump...

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrea-tantaros-fox-news-lawsuit_us_57bc6919e4b0b51733a5d614

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous12:31 PM

    ...Andrea Tantaros recognized that she was entitled to her own bodily integrity, the boundaries of her own body, but she continually denied that same sense of body ownership to any other woman. Fox consistently used Tantaros much the same way that conservatives use people of color who happen to be conservative or gay people who happen to be conservative. As David Ferguson wrote in the Guardian recently, it is hard not to see someone who consistently speaks against their own interests as driven by a desire for the notoriety and attention that being a minority within conservatism can bring. “Fans of resentment-driven politics have a bottomless appetite for content that fuels their throbbing hatred of uppity liberals,” Ferguson wrote.

    It’s why Tantaros could gesture toward her own heart when describing how, despite Donald Trump’s long history of sexist words and deeds toward women, he still spoke for “us,” (whom she identified as members of the middle class and blue collar workers who had been voiceless until Trump came along). In fact, Tantaros was so confident that Trump’s sexism was not going to matter to Trump’s grateful followers, who feel that “both sides don’t represent them,” that the general election would turn into an enormous “gender war,” with Hillary Clinton having the support of “the mainstream media and women’s magazines.” The glee with which Tantaros makes such an assertion is troubling, especially since this was at least seven months after the alleged event with Scott Brown had taken place. And yet, Tantaros, for whatever reason, did not see a connection between the misogynist words of Donald Trump and the sexist atmosphere at Fox that made it okay for guests to sexually harass her and for her to have no recourse.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/when-rape-apologists-become-victims-of-sexual-harassment-it-is-still-not-appropriate-to-say-i-told-you-so/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12:38 PM

    Here are five points on the bombshell allegations brought to light in the lawsuit.

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/fivepoints/andrea-tantaros-fox-news-lawsuit-roger-ailes

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous12:45 PM

    I know it's too much to ask for here goes anyway: Dear Flying Spaghetti Monster: Please destroy the Republican Party and Fox News at the same time. They are one and the same anyway.'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 66gardeners2:48 PM

      Looks to me like Trump has got this.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:25 PM

      248 Yep and he made sure the lights were all out for Sarah Palin so she gets no credit for forging a path for him to finish off that party.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous12:47 PM

    Scott Brown Responds to ‘Totally False’ Groping Accusations in Tantaros-Fox Harassment Lawsuit

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/scott-brown-responds-to-totally-false-groping-accusations-in-tantaros-fox-harassment-lawsuit/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:10 PM

      Andrea is more believable.

      Men do things like this often and they have no recall since it is so common for them. Especially in an environment as being revealed Fox News is. Men can feel very entitled, they do what they do. Usually no one calls them out.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:19 PM

      1:10pm

      It's all okay, your hero Sarah Palin calls it "boys will be boys" and yes they will and yes these Fox women signed up not only to take it, but to like it.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous7:58 PM

      Men? As in all men? You seem to have issues. You are grouping people together where they should not be grouped. Didn't you ever get to watch Sesame Street when you were a kid?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous9:54 PM

      1:10 lemme guess, fat lazy slob of a woman with zero self esteem. Keeping Ben and Jerrys in business though I'd bet.

      Delete
  12. Foxy News: Glass top desks, short skirts and lots of leg.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous1:00 PM

    I am glad Tantaros filed a law suit. I don't know that much about her and I don't watch Fox News or any of the characters in this. It is good when more of this can be told and it will be taken serious regarding a law suit. All the garbage for damage control is to be expected. It gets boring but with law suit the shit can eventually get tossed out. May there be no payoff or any more shady business.

    Dakota Meyer is also bringing up another relevant story at his Facebook. May more light shine on that subject. Fox may be the only one reporting or sensationalizing that story. where would America be without Fox, Murdock, Ailes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:18 PM

      I thank you for mentioning Dakota Meyer because not many people respect the mentally retarded.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:18 PM

      I don't know who Dakota Meyer is. Is he someone really important to have a Facebook editorial of his very own? Is he to be "taken serious" or seriously?
      Readers want to know.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous3:05 PM

      Dakota Meyer is a hero. He has a great following. It's not what he says it is his being.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous4:24 PM

      His brother, Oscar, has a mean bologna, just sayin'

      Delete
    5. Anonymous7:59 PM

      You mean "being" a big dumb doofus 3:05?

      Delete
  14. Anonymous1:05 PM

    A Deep Dive Into the Harassment Allegations Against Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly—and Scott Brown
    http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/08/23/andrea_tantaros_sexual_harassment_allegations_at_fox_against_ailes_o_reilly.html

    Vomit Pit Leader
    http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_slatest/2016/08/23/andrea_tantaros_sexual_harassment_allegations_at_fox_against_ailes_o_reilly/577708184-fox-news-chairman-roger-ailes-walks-with-his-wife.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous1:44 PM

    Unrelated but good. "If nobody hates you, you're doing something wrong."

    This is very true. Successful people with bright futures ALWAYS have haters, no matter who it is. I just had a 49 yr old woman try to sabotage me at work (I am 38) due to envy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ""If nobody hates you, you're doing something wrong.""
      -----------------
      What utter bullshit.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:16 PM

      Well, here on this blog we all know that you are the smartest, most vibrant and beautiful woman in America so we here are not surprised that some terrible old person didn't realize the above-stated testaments to your absolute wonderfulness and was incredibly envious of not only your beauty, but of your "unique" grasp of the English language, which haters would call "awkward" but I and so many others here, and on the other blogs that you frequent, realize is a sign of true genius, rather than the actual mental retardation that some would attribute it to.

      :-)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous3:28 PM

      Right, 1:44 PM She tried to sabotage you because she envied your chubbiness and ability to lie. Get a job, if any firm will hire you, parasite.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8:01 PM

      What 2:16 said...

      Delete
  16. Anonymous1:52 PM

    Aww, I feel so bad for her NOT!

    http://crooksandliars.com/2016/01/andrea-tantaros-mocks-obama-crying-over

    This bitch was spewing lies and vitriol on Fox even after she "apparently" was ogled by Ailes so suck it up hate troll. People like her get just what they deserve and I drink her fake tears with the greatest delight :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous1:54 PM

    I have no sympathy for this attack poodle. She was one of the most vicious assholes they've ever hired.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:49 PM

      yes x 1,000!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:01 PM

      True story, bro dude.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:52 PM

      She doesn't give a crap about you or your non-sympathy, she just wants a payday.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous2:11 PM

    Many of these Fox women have shared that they signed contracts that included a stipulations regarding what sorts of clothing, hairstyles and makeup they would wear on-air.

    When one signs a contract stipulating that suggestive clothing, pageant-style hair and makeup is required then what exactly do these women think they are getting into other than an over-sexualized paternalistic organization this certainly is not hiring them for multi-million dollar contracts for the content of their minds?

    Now they are, what? Surprised that there was an overriding sense of sexual aggression in their workplace? The same workplace that required them to sign a contract basically agreeing to be a chattel? A dressed up little sexy Barbie that they allowed to read their version of what passes for"news". Suck it up ladies, you knew exactly what you were getting into.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous2:30 PM

    Ann C
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/ann-coulter-khizr-khan-sharia-000000415.html

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous3:44 PM

    When I was young, I wore a tube top and I knew what I was doing. I was advertising. Haha. I laugh now that I am in my fifties. But we have raging harmones at that age. And yes, I bet these women thought these dirty old men were going to treat them with respect. You know that "daddy" thing. Not gonna happen. Not with the Trumps, Ailes, and Cosby's of the world. Hells no. The only thing about them and the Taliban is that the Taliban doesn't hide from what misogynistic bastards they are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:29 PM

      Taliban openness is refreshing compared to Fox male pit.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous4:20 PM

    I'm shocked that Greta Van Sustern hasn't joined the lawsuit brigade at Fox News. I don't know how she does her job while admonishing all the horntoads, especially Ailes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:04 PM

      I used to drive by a strip club, on the way to work, that boasted a sign that said: 24 Hot Chicks and 1 Ugly One.

      I always felt that Greta was there only as a failed attempt to make people think it wasn't allll about the hot girls.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous4:48 PM

    Two true statements.

    1. Sexual harassment is always wrong.

    2. I can't feel sorry for her.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous8:39 PM

    WTF? Private lives are exposed as WikiLeaks spills its secrets
    CAIRO (AP) — WikiLeaks' giant data dumps have rattled the National Security Agency, the U.S. Democratic Party, and the Saudi foreign ministry. But its spectacular mass-disclosures have also included the personal information of hundreds of people — including sick children, rape victims and mental health patients, The Associated Press has found.
    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b70da83fd111496dbdf015acbb7987fb/private-lives-are-exposed-wikileaks-spills-its-secrets

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous9:13 PM

    Well what have we as women learned here people.

    Candy Crowly is the only only woman i can think of who was hired on her ability alone. All the years of Women's so called liberation and every woman knows if you go up against another woman applying for a job who is "hot" odds are they will get hired over an average Jane.

    Fox News has set women back but the women they hired let them. Now for men who want to be on the news its the same thing only not quite as bad. Do you think looks don't matter for men?

    The difference is men can dress in a suit and women are exploited by dresses and made to show off their body.

    I don't have a lot of sympathy for these women they knew the game and they used their looks in a proffesion that demands viewers attention, on camera.

    Don't sell yourself by wearing low cut tops and botox and skirts 2 inches passed your ass and then bitch about how your being used.They chose it. The minute old farts like Ailes came on to them they should have walked.If you as a woman allow your employer to dictate that you dress a certain way or if it is implied and you know it than you have that choice to walk or go with it.

    These women rode on their looks and they knew it whether they had brains or not.

    Barbara Walters was not a "hot" babe in her older years but somehow people liked her.

    Hillary Clinton at her age is being judged as fat and old while Trump is not. And you can thank his younger soft porn wife for that image like somehow a measure of the man is based on how much "tail" he can get. Hillary Clinton is always judged on her pantsuits like women are supposed to wear dresses or skirts all the time yet men just wear suits.


    ReplyDelete

Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.