Fox producer who filed lawsuit a month before Tucker Carlson was fired says she celebrated
The female FOX News booking producer who filed a lawsuit last month against longtime host Tucker Carlson says she is celebrating his abrupt firing, noting 'he made my life a living hell.'
Abby Grossberg, who was fired by FOX shortly after she filed 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 me.'
Speaking of the moment she found out Carlson was abruptly fired on Monday, Grossberg said she felt a slew of different emotions.
'There were feelings first of "Yes!" and then also the reality that you don’t want anything bad to happen to anybody,' she said.
'But at the same time, Tucker and his executive producer Justin Wells, who was also fired, really were responsible for breaking me and making my life a living hell. So there is a feeling of justice, but it’s only partial.'
Abby Grossberg, who was fired by FOX shortly after she filed two separate lawsuits against the network earlier this year, spoke out about Tucker Carlson's firing on Tuesday
The longtime news host 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 working for Maria Bartiromo, and she got a good feeling about the staff when she interviewed.
'I was hoping that it would be more professional and what he was portraying on air was just a show, and unfortunately that wasn't the case,' she said Tuesday.
Insiders have suggested that her lawsuit alleging bullying, sexism and anti-Semitism among Carlson's senior staff coupled with his own 'derogatory' remarks about senior News Corp executives is what is said to have led Rupert Murdoch to fire the star host.
According to her 79-page discrimination suit, Carlson fostered an environment where 'unprofessionalism reigned supreme, and the staff’s distaste and disdain for women infiltrated almost every workday decision.'
She claims she was personally subjected to anti-Semitism by Alexander McCaskill, a senior producer, because he installed a 'preposterous Christmas' display in the booking area despite knowing she was Jewish, along with a sign that read 'Hanukah bush' which she took as a personal insult.
McCaskill, according to the lawsuit, also tormented another Jewish employee for buying lunch from Breads Bakery, which Grossberg claims he called the 'Jew bakery'.
Grossberg also claims that while deciding the framework of Carlson's primetime show, producers including Wells - who also left Fox yesterday - chose female guests based on their appearance and made inappropriate remarks about women colleagues.
Grossberg's lawsuit makes specific allegations against Justin Wells (left), Carlson's senior executive producer who also left Fox yesterday, and Alexander McCaskill (right), another senior producer from his show
Grossberg also claims she was pressured by Fox lawyers into lying or downplaying her concerns about Dominion. Fox has vigorously refuted those claims
She claims their office was 'plastered' with '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. Apparently, the “joke” was that Speaker Pelosi looked terrible in a bathing suit.
In another instance, Grossberg claims she was hauled into Wells' office where he asked if Bartiromo was 'f*****g Kevin McCarthy.'
In general, she claims there was a 'pervasive' culture of misogyny at the show, and 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 more f****ble' than her Republican rival Tudor Dixon, and also claims there were frequent discussions where 'unprofessionalism reigned supreme'.
Grossberg also claims she was pressured by Fox attorneys not to share incriminating information while being grilled as part of the Dominion lawsuit.
That specific claim has been vigorously refuted by Fox.
'FOX News engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review.
'Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will continue to vigorously defend Fox against her unmeritorious legal claims which are riddled with false allegations against the network and our employees,' a network spokesman told DailyMail.com.
Carlson's firing was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch, according to sources cited yesterday by The Los Angeles Times, and was executed by Lachlan Murdoch
Carlson's firing was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch, according to sources cited yesterday by The Los Angeles Times.
One network insider told DailyMail.com that staff were stunned by the decision.
'Tucker still hasn’t been given any indication of why he was taken off the air. His producer Justin wells was fired too.
'We believe Rupert wants to sell the company and it’s harder to find an institutional buyer with Tucker as the main star.
'Tucker gone makes it more of an appealing media company to buy.'
Shares in Fox Corp, the company that owns the news network, slid by up to 5 percent yesterday, losing the company millions of dollars.
Source: Daily Mail
