The FOX News female booking producer who filed a lawsuit against longtime host Tucker Carlson last month says she celebrates his abrupt firing, noting that “he made my life hell.”
Abby Grossberg, who was fired from FOX shortly after filing two separate lawsuits against the network earlier this year, said in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday that Carlson and his show’s executive producer Justin Wells were “responsible for breaking the law.” me’.
About the moment she found out Carlson had been abruptly fired Monday, Grossberg said she felt a slew of different emotions.
‘There were feelings of ‘Yes!’ and then also the reality that you don’t want anything bad to happen to anyone,” she said.
“But at the same time, Tucker and his executive producer Justin Wells, who was also fired, were really responsible for breaking me and making my life hell. So there is a sense of justice, but that is only partial.’
Abby Grossberg, who was fired from FOX shortly after filing two separate lawsuits against the network earlier this year, spoke about Tucker Carlson’s firing on Tuesday
The longtime news presenter was unceremoniously fired on Monday after 14 years at the station
Grossberg said she wanted to join Carlson’s show because it was a promotion from her previous position with Maria Bartiromo, and she got a good feeling with the staff when she interviewed.
“I was hoping it would be more professional and what he portrayed on air was just a show, and unfortunately it wasn’t,” she said Tuesday.
Insiders have suggested that her lawsuit over allegations of bullying, sexism and anti-Semitism among Carlson’s senior staff, coupled with his own “disparaging” comments about senior News Corp executives, reportedly led to Rupert Murdoch firing the star host.
According to her 79-page discrimination case, Carlson created an environment where “unprofessional behavior was rampant and the staff’s dislike and contempt for women permeated nearly every work day.”
She claims she was personally a victim of anti-Semitism by senior producer Alexander McCaskill for installing a “ridiculous Christmas” display in the booking area despite knowing she was Jewish, along with a sign reading ” Hanukah bush’ that she took as a personal insult.
According to the lawsuit, McCaskill also harassed another Jewish employee for buying lunch at Breads Bakery, whom Grossberg claims he called the “Jewish bakery.”
Grossberg also alleges that when framing Carlson’s primetime show, producers, including Wells – who also left Fox yesterday – chose female guests based on their appearance and made inappropriate comments about female colleagues.
Grossberg’s lawsuit contains specific allegations against Justin Wells (left), Carlson’s senior executive producer who also left Fox yesterday, and Alexander McCaskill (right), another senior producer on his show
Grossberg also claims she was pressured by Fox lawyers to lie or downplay her concerns about Dominion. Fox has vigorously refuted those claims
She claims their office was “plastered” with “bloated photos of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage.”
“The images were pasted on her computer and elsewhere in the office. Apparently, the “joke” was that Speaker Pelosi looked awful in a bathing suit.
In another instance, Grossberg claims she was dragged into Wells’s office, where he asked if Bartiromo was “f*****g Kevin McCarthy.”
Overall, she claims that there was a “pervasive” culture of misogyny throughout the show, and that she was “ignored” when she suggested balancing segments by adding female guests.
She described a “crass and sexist discussion” about whether Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was “hotter or f****bler” than her Republican rival Tudor Dixon, and also claims that there were frequent discussions in which “unprofessional action prevailed’.
Grossberg also claims she was pressured by Fox attorneys not to share incriminating information while being grilled as part of the Dominion lawsuit.
That particular claim has been vigorously refuted by Fox.
FOX News engaged an independent outside consultant to immediately investigate Ms. Grossberg’s concerns, which were raised following a critical performance review.
“Her allegations related to the Dominion case are baseless and we will continue to vigorously defend Fox against its baseless legal claims that are riddled with false allegations against the network and our employees,” a network spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
Carlson’s firing was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch, according to sources quoted yesterday by The Los Angeles Times, and was carried out by Lachlan Murdoch
Carlson’s firing was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch, according to sources cited yesterday by The Los Angeles Times.
A network insider told DailyMail.com that staff were baffled by the decision.
Tucker still hasn’t received any indication as to why he was taken off the air. His producer Justin Wells was also fired.
“We think Rupert wants to sell the company and it’s harder to find an institutional buyer with Tucker as the lead.
“Tucker gone makes it a more attractive media company to buy.”
Shares in Fox Corp, the company that owns the news network, fell as much as 5 percent yesterday, causing the company to lose millions of dollars.
