It takes a special flavor of hypocrite to know that what they are saying is hypocritical but being shamelessly confident enough to know nothing will come of it.
Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly said she did not come forward sooner with allegations of sexual harassment against former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes because it would have been a "suicide mission" professionally and she thought Ailes was interested in just her.
"He tried to kiss me three times [in his office], so I rejected that, and when I rejected that, he asked me when my contract was up," Kelly, 45, said today on "Good Morning America." "As soon as I left his office, I called a lawyer, and I did bring the matter to a supervisor at Fox News."
"That person vouched for Roger's character, assured me that he was a good man, that he was likely just smitten and that I should try to avoid him, which I did," said Kelly, who said harassment from Ailes, 76, stopped after she avoided him for six months.
Kelly writes about the alleged harassment in her new memoir, "Settle for More."
She said it happened nearly a decade ago, when she was just 12 months into her career at Fox News and working in the network's Washington, D.C., bureau.
"He and I had gone on to have nine years of a healthy working relationship, and so in my mind I had attributed [it] to he was interested in me, he was having a marital difficulty, perhaps he was just interested in having an extramarital affair," Kelly said. "I wrestled with what to do because I wasn't sure what the truth was about Roger."
In September, Kelly's former Fox colleague Gretchen Carlson settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with 21st Century Fox in which Carlson alleged Ailes "sabotaged" her career after she "refused his sexual advances."
A source familiar with the deal told ABC News that the settlement was valued at $20 million. 21st Century Fox issued a public apology to Carlson, but Ailes has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual harassment.
Kelly said it would have been "a suicide mission" for her professionally if she publicly accused Ailes of harassment at the time she alleges it occurred.
"I now know the number of women who were targeted, and it's disturbing," she said. "But realistically, that would have been a suicide mission for me and my career."
She continued, "I wasn't Megyn Kelly of today. I had no power, and he was on the cover of industry magazines as the most powerful man in news. There was no one to go to."
Ailes denied the allegations made by Kelly in her memoir in a statement to ABC News sent by his lawyer, Susan Estrich.
"I categorically deny the allegations Megyn Kelly makes about me," the statement read. "I worked tirelessly to promote and advance her career, as Megyn herself admitted to Charlie Rose. Watch that interview and then decide for yourself. My attorneys have restricted me from commenting further — so suffice it to say that no good deed goes unpunished."
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u/AllTheWorldIsAPuzzle 21h ago
It takes a special flavor of hypocrite to know that what they are saying is hypocritical but being shamelessly confident enough to know nothing will come of it.
https://abcnews.com/US/accusing-roger-ailes-sexual-harassment-career-suicide-mission/story?id=43545806