Just like other forms of social injustice, the end of sexual harassment or sexual assault in all its forms greatly depends on the spontaneity of the victim to report the crime. This is irrespective of who the perpetrator of the crime may be.

A living example of this theory is the former Miss America and Fox News host Gretchen Carlson who in July 2016 filed for sexual harassment against the chief executive of Fox News, Roger Ailes. When Carlson broke her silence she assumed that this would also mean the end of her media career. What followed was unlike anything she had expected.

An investigation was started immediately and soon other women came forward with their traumatic experiences which led to Roger Ailes getting fired. Gretchen Carlson herself received a $20 million settlement and a public apology from her former employer. Gretchen’s action against one of the American media’s most powerful figures sent out a positive message to other survivors.

Several women suffering in silence became aware that irrespective of a perpetrator’s social status they could be held accountable for their offensive actions and behavior. Gretchen considers this as the biggest achievement of her life and said that she was happy to create a safe working environment for millions of people.

This is precisely why Gretchen Carlson left Fox news, however, new doors were waiting to be opened for her career-wise. Over the years Carlson has been able to pursue several wonderful professional opportunities that serve as a source of hope and empowerment to suffering women around the world. Carlson’s case became one of the most highly publicized cases of 2016’s #metoo movement.

What Happened to Gretchen Carlson?

Carlson assumed that reporting a particularly famous media personality (like her ex-boss) for his inappropriate behavior would lead to the end of her media career. She thought she would be sitting at home depressed and crying.

However, what Carlson is doing now is so different from what she expected. Carlson in 2017 was named as one of ‘Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.’

She has written two books of which one is a memoir called ‘Getting Real’ and another Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back, both of which became bestsellers. From 2018 to 2019 Carlson served as Chairwoman of the board of directors of the Miss America organization. This was nearly thirty years after Gretchen was crowned Miss America.

In 2019 she co-founded a powerful movement ‘Lift Our Voices’ that banned non-disclosure agreements and forced arbitration clauses in employment agreements in the United States. In 2020 Carlson joined People TV as a special contributor.

Also, Carlson happens to be the host of a daily news podcast by Quake Media. The show is called Get the News with Gretchen Carlson. The show discusses political issues as well as important world events.

Carlson’s Association with Fox News

In 2006 Carlson first made an appearance on Fox and Friends as a weekend substitute. After shifting of anchors Carlson became the anchor of Fox and Friends and co-hosted the show with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade for eight years.

During her time with Fox news Gretchen covered several important world events such as the first and second inauguration of Barack Obama, the weddings of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, The Democratic National Convention, and the Republican National Convention.

Conclusion

In 2016 in Carlson’s complaint against her former employer she stated that she was fired from her program for refusing his sexual advances. Roger Ailes denied the allegation but soon many other women joined Carlson in reporting his offensive behavior.

Very recently on CNN Gretchen Carlson claimed that it was extremely difficult to change people’s opinions because they only watched what they wanted to hear. She said people have become used to only watching what they agree with.

Carlson lamented on the current state of affairs of her former network. She also said that most people are under the impression that she still works for Fox news.

This is because the only news channel that they watch is Fox news, she said. Also, very conveniently the channel did not do a story of Carlson’s actions taken to report her former boss Roger Ailes’ behavior towards her or the saga that followed