Tucker Carlson's abrupt exit from Fox News — which was announced in a brief statement by the network on Monday — sent shockwaves throughout much of the media world, and triggered rampant speculation over the reason for his firing.
Carlson's unceremonious ouster came exactly a week after Fox settled a blockbuster defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million just as it was about to go to trial. Text messages from Carlson to his producers, disclosed in pre-trial court filings, revealed that top Fox executives and hosts had privately cast doubt on former President Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election.
But according to the Los Angeles Times, the split between Fox and Carlson was related to a different lawsuit filed last month by Carlson's former booker, Abby Grossberg, alleging that he fostered a hostile and discriminatory work environment.
A Fox News spokeswoman called Grossberg’s claims “unmeritorious” and “riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.”
Here’s everything we know about the lawsuit, culled from original reporting and trusted partners, including the Times and others.
How did we get here?
Grossberg, formerly a senior booking producer for Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo, began working as the head of booking for “Tucker Carlson Tonight” last year.
She was fired by Fox News last month after filing suit against the company, claiming that she was bullied and subjected to sexist and antisemitic comments while working on Carlson’s show.
In a separate lawsuit filed in Delaware, Grossberg also claimed that she was coerced by the company's lawyers to give misleading answers in her deposition in the Dominion case. (Fox News denied the allegation, calling it "baseless" and without merit.) Her amended testimony was submitted to the court prior to Fox's settlement.
What are her allegations, exactly?
In the 79-page lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York, Grossberg said she was startled by the behavior of male colleagues when she showed up for her first day of work on Carlson's show, in September.
According to Grossberg, she arrived at the office to see "many large and blown-up photographs of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage.”
“The images were plastered onto her computer and elsewhere throughout the office,” the lawsuit said.
The following day, Justin Wells, a senior executive producer of Carlson’s program, called Grossberg into an office with another male colleague in attendance.
Wells proceeded to ask Grossberg an "uncomfortable sexual question about her former boss,” the suit alleges.
“Is Maria Bartiromo [sleeping with] Kevin McCarthy?” Wells asked, according to the suit. “Shocked, Ms. Grossberg replied 'No,' and quickly left the room,” the lawsuit said.
Grossberg claims she overheard male executives make sexist and belittling comments about Bartiromo. (Among the terms allegedly used to describe the veteran financial news anchor: "crazy," “menopausal,” “hysterical” and a “diva.")
Moreover, staff members “frequently engaged in group discussion … in which misogynistic views of women as objects to be judged solely based on their appearance were broadcasted,” the suit alleges.
“In these discussions, no woman, whether she was a Republican politician or a female staffer at Fox News, was safe from suddenly becoming the target of sexist, demeaning comments.”
Did she cite specific examples?
Yes. As the Los Angeles Times notes, the lawsuit has several examples of Grossberg being subjected to misogynistic and demeaning commentary.
In one instance cited by the paper, the lawsuit recalled “a crass and sexist discussion in the newsroom“ before Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon was scheduled to appear as a guest on Carlson's show.
Before Dixon arrived, staffers discussed whether “Ms. Dixon or her opponent, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was ‘hotter and more [sexually desirable]’” the lawsuit alleges.
When Alexander McCaskill, a senior producer on Carlson’s show, saw Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., on TV on the House floor, he “mocked her weight and appearance by stating she was ‘fat like Kelly Clarkson,’” according to the suit.
In another instance, McCaskill allegedly called a room in the office where Fox News employees could pump breast milk, a "waste of space" and suggested it should be converted into a “room of tanning beds for the guys to tan their testicles."
What happened on Monday?
Fox News announced Carlson’s exit in a terse statement late Monday morning.
"Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways," the network said. "We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor."
Sean Hannity, Carlson's fellow primetime Fox host, said he was blindsided by the news.
"It's very hard," Hannity said Monday afternoon on his syndicated radio show, per the Wrap. "My phone has been blowing up all day. The hard part for me is I don't have a clue."
According to the L.A. Times, Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch made the decision himself, with input from board members and other top executives. The Times reported that Wells, who was mentioned in Grossberg's lawsuit, was also terminated.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Murdoch, Carlson found out he'd been let go just 10 minutes ahead of the company's public announcement.
What was Grossberg's reaction?
Her attorneys suggested that her suit was a key factor in Carlson’s firing.
"Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox News is, in part, an admission of the systemic lying, bullying, and conspiracy-mongering claimed by our client," Tanvir Rahman, one of Grossberg's lawyers, said in a statement Monday afternoon.
Grossberg herself called Carlson’s firing "a step towards accountability for the election lies and baseless conspiracy theories spread by Fox News, something I witnessed firsthand."
She added: "This is some justice for the American people and for Fox News viewers who've been manipulated and lied to for years, all in an attempt to boost the channel's ratings and revenue."
