Gretchen Carlson Urges Fox to Release Her From NDA

'I want my voice back'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 13, 2019 5:45 AM CST
Updated Dec 13, 2019 6:53 AM CST
Gretchen Carlson to Fox: 'I Want My Voice Back'
In this Oct. 17, 2017 photo, Gretchen Carlson participates in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss her book "Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Back Your Power" at AOL Studios in New York.   (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)

Gretchen Carlson says that three years after suing former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, she finds herself in a surreal situation: Her story has been turned into a movie and a TV mini-series, but she's banned from talking about her experiences. "Three years ago, receiving a public apology from 21st Century Fox and retaining the right to speak about harassment generally felt like big wins," the former Fox host writes in a New York Times op-ed. "And they were. But had I known my complaint would help ignite such a profound cultural shift and that I would be depicted onscreen, I would have also fought against signing the non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, that prevented me from discussing my experiences while working at Fox News."

Carlson, who is played by Nicole Kidman in new movie Bombshell, she was "essentially, forced into silence" by the NDA. She says she can't discuss what happened to her in public or in private, consult with anybody telling her story, or "comment on the accuracy of a final product." She urges Fox to release her and "and all employees forced to sign NDAs as a condition of harassment settlements" from their agreements. Carlson says she and Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky have launched a new nonprofit organization called Lift Our Voices to call for an end to the "harmful practice of mandatory NDAs" in cases of workplace sexual harassment and assault. "I want my voice back," she writes. "I want it back for me, and for all those silenced by forced arbitration and NDAs." Click for the full piece. (This week, another Fox host filed a sexual harassment suit.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X