Your Fox News Sexual Harassment Allegations Scorecard

A whole new dam of new sexual misconduct allegations just broke at Fox News, in addition the the years’ worth of previous sexual assault allegations that had already dropped at Fox News. Some of the best-known creepy white supremacists on the network are named in a fresh new sexual assault lawsuit against Fox News, so we’ve got a scorecard of who’s accused of what, and whether they’re fired, on paid administrative leave, or just happen to be taking a “long planned” vacation right about now. 

Note: Many of the accounts below are extremely graphic and disturbing. Some of it is just your standard Fox News “Come up to my hotel room or else you won’t work here anymore,” others are full-on accounts or rape and sexual violence. We are naming the victims’ names, as those women have chosen to identify themselves publicly as they seek justice.

TUCKER CARLSON –  SENT ON A ”LONG-PLANNED” VACATION

According to the legal filing, former Fox News contributor Cathy Areu alleges that after a December 2018 appearance on his show, Carlson told Areu “that he would be alone in New York City that night, and specifically said that he would be staying alone in his hotel room without any wife or kids.” She said that “Mr. Carlson was probing to see whether Ms. Areu was interested in a sexual relationship,” and when she “sidestepped Mr. Carlson’s advances and declined to spend the night at his hotel,” Carlson “promptly retaliated against Ms. Areu, who was featured on his show only three times in 2019 and has not appeared once in 2020.”

Salon reports that Fox News executives knew about the allegations when Carlson announced a “long-planned vacation” on July 13. Carlson returned Monday night, and went on a rant about the New York Times investigating him. He claimed the Times planned to expose “where my family and I live,” and then threatened to expose where the Times reporters live, saying “We could do that, we know who they are.” He did not acknowledge the lawsuit or allegations against him.

SEAN HANNITY – STILL HAS JOB

This allegation is also from Cathy Areu. She says that “Mr. Hannity, on set and in front of the entire studio crew — and completely unsolicited — threw $100 on the set desk. He then began calling out to the men in the room and demanding that someone take Ms. Areu out on a date for drinks at Del Friscos.”

Hannity “repeatedly yelled, ‘who wants to take her on a date?’ ‘Take her on a date to Del Friscos,’ ” according to the suit. “Ms. Areu was completely mortified and made clear that she was incredibly uncomfortable with Mr. Hannity’s misogynistic behavior by quietly pleading with one of her friends in the room to accept the money so that the humiliation would end.”

ED HENRY – FIRED 

This one’s tough to read, people. A separate victim, former Fox News producer Jennifer Eckhart, says that in 2017,  America’s Newsroom host Ed Henry handcuffed her, raped her, and took nude photos of her without her consent. The Daily Beast has her entire account in detail.  

Jennifer Eckhart was only 24 years old at the time, whereas Ed Henry was married and 48 years old. Henry was fired from Fox News on July 1, but denies the allegations.

HOWARD KURTZ – STILL HAS JOB

Media Buzz host Howard Kurtz allegedly also used career advancement to entice Areu to his hotel room. According to the suit, “While Mr. Kurtz was in New York City, he invited Ms. Areu to come to his hotel (‘I’m just at my hotel making calls. Can you come to the Muse lobby at 7:15?’). Ms. Areu politely declined but invited Mr. Kurtz to dinner with her and a friend who was in town. Mr. Kurtz, who plainly wanted to see Ms. Areu only if she were alone and at his hotel (i.e., for sexual reasons) declined.”

The filing continues that “The morning after Ms. Areu rejected Mr. Kurtz’s advances, he refused to meet with her at the studio and curtly said to her, ‘I’m booked solid this morning which is why I hoped to connect last night.” It adds that Kurtz complained, “You’re the only woman here who won’t come to my hotel room.”

BILL O’REILLY – FIRED IN 2017

Remember this asshole? If not, let’s dredge up his lengthy history of sexual harassment lawsuits. The New York Times reported in 2017 that Fox News had spent $50 million to settle sexual harassment lawsuits, many of them claims against O’Reilly. The Times describes the five different settlements that included “allegations of repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material” to Fox News employees.

ROGER AILES – FIRED

This was all covered in last year’s movie Bombshell. Roger Ailes was the CEO and chairman of Fox News from 1996 until he was forced out in 2016. During that time, at least 20 women accused him of various sorts of sexual harassment, including one booking agent whom he forced to dance in various states of undress, videotaped it, and told her “I am going to put it in a safe-deposit box just so we understand each other.”

After his 2016 firing, for which he was given a $40 million golden parachute, Ailes died from hemophilia complications in May 2017.