In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Carlson alleges the reason she was let go from the network a month ago was that she refused to sleep with Ailes, who repeatedly made advances to her over the course of her eleven years at Fox.
During a meeting last September in which Carlson attempted to discuss sexism at Fox, Ailes told Carlson, “I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better,” according to a press release announcing the lawsuit. “Sometimes problems are easier to solve that way,” he reportedly added. Ailes also allegedly described Carlson as a “man-hater” and chastised her for trying to “show up the boys.”
This is not the first time Ailes has been accused of sexual misconduct. Gabriel Sherman’s book about Ailes, The Loudest Voice in the Room, records a number of accusations of inappropriate behavior, including Ailes telling a producer he would increase her salary if she slept with him. Ailes also reportedly had an obsession with seeing women’s legs on camera. Back in 2013, Carlson said “pants were now allowed” on Fox and Friends.