Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson said Tuesday she would be “incredibly proud” if opening up about workplace sexual harassment inspired women to come forward with similar allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
“Listen, I’m incredibly proud if I gave any of those Weinstein women the courage to come forward,” Carlson told CNN.
Carlson, who is lobbying Congress to support a bipartisan bill designed to remove the secrecy from arbitration clauses that are frequently used to settle sexual harassment claims, said she had “heard from thousands” of women who shared their own experiences with her.
“It’s pervasive. It’s across every single profession from waitresses to Wall Street bankers. It’s everywhere,” she said.
“But guess what? I actually am optimistic based on the Harvey Weinstein story,” Carlson continued. “[The] allegations [are] horrific, but look at where we’ve come in just 15 months since my story broke. I actually believe this is the tipping point.”
Carlson’s new book, Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back, released Tuesday, contains advice for women who find themselves in situations like she says she did at Fox News.
One of her tips is involving an ombudsman rather than just the relevant organization’s human resources department.
Carlson filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Fox News’ chief executive officer Roger Ailes in July 2016. Her suit was eventually settled in Sept. 2016 for a reported sum of $20 million.
