Getty Tucker Carlson.
Abby Grossberg was a senior booking producer for Fox News who has accused the network in a lawsuit of sexism, defamation and more. She has also accused former Fox host Tucker Carlson’s show of being “a work environment that subjugates women based on vile sexist stereotypes.”
You can see Grossberg’s second amended complaint here. Read the original complaint here.
On March 27, 2023, Grossberg filed the amended complaint against Fox Corporation and Fox News Network. She accused them of conspiring to coerce her to “give inaccurate deposition testimony related to” the Dominion lawsuit against Fox.
Grossberg says she was fired by Fox News on March 24, 2023, “in retaliation for filing this action.”
According to The New York Times, Fox News responded: “We will continue to vigorously defend Fox against Ms. Grossberg’s unmeritorious legal claims, which are riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.” Carlson, who is mentioned repeatedly in the lawsuit, has not commented, The Times reported. He and Fox News parted ways this week.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Abby Grossberg Accused Fox News of Causing a ‘Well-Documented Toxic Brew of Misogyny’
Meet Abby Grossberg.
The former Fox News Producer for Tucker Carlson’s show who was fired last month and who also filed a discrimination lawsuit against him and Fox News for allegedly bullying her.
In her lawsuit, which you can read above, Grossberg accused the network of a “well-documented toxic brew of misogyny, gaslighting, defamation, and scapegoating that floods the airwaves.”
She accused Fox News of intentionally allowing “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo to be “under-resourced while also acting as the tip-of-the spear in delivering the Big Lie through a series of explosive interviews with Rudolph Giuliani and Sidney Powell.”
She accused Fox of using “female scapegoats such as Ms. Grossberg.”
The second amended complaint “connects the linear dots from Ms. Grossberg hitting a sexist glass ceiling . . . in 2019 through 2021,” while she was being “groomed for an ephemeral promotion at Tucker Carlton Tonight by Fox News executives,” the lawsuit says.
She claims that Fox News cast her in a “wrongful false light” as an “incompetent journalist.”
The lawsuit says Grossberg “encountered systemic chauvinism at Fox News. Despite her herculean efforts to rise in the ranks through hard work and perseverance, Ms. Grossberg was overworked, undervalued, denied opportunities for a promotion, paid less, and treated significantly worse than her male counterparts, even when those men were eminently less qualified than her and espoused sexist tropes in the workplace on a routine level.”
She alleged that she was told she was talented but Fox News “needed a man to control Ms. Bartiromo.” She also accused Fox News executives of consistently favoring male anchors, their shows and staffs. Grossberg claimed that the network “subjugated women based on vile sexist stereotypes, typecasted religious minorities and belittled their traditions and demonstrated little to no regard for mental health.”
2. Abby Grossberg Has a Long History of Working as a Network Producer for Prominent Shows
TODAY: Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg joins @NicolleDWallace for an exclusive interview to discuss the lawsuit she filed against Tucker Carlson & the recent news of his departure from the network.
Watch @DeadlineWH at 4pmET on @MSNBC.
On her Staff Me Up profile, Grossberg listed a number of production credits.
Grossberg wrote that she worked as a producer for the Rachael Ray Show at CBS, for the Meredith Vieira show at NBC Universal, for “CBS This Morning,” for the Nancy Grace Show on CNN, as a writer/segment producer for Fox News, and as an associate producer for AC 360/Election Center.
On the Rachael Ray Show, she wrote that she was “responsible for pitching, developing and executing lifestyle, human interest, culinary and celebrity segments for multiple tapings each week. In charge of team responsible for researching, casting and coordinating in-studio and taped segments involving legal clearance and prop demos.”
For “CBS This Morning,” she wrote that she “served as primary producer for celebrity and high-profile interview segments for anchors Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell.”
For “AC 360,” she wrote that she “researched and produced news segments and feature pieces for daily broadcast. Wrote intros and prepared research for Anderson Cooper.”
The page ends in 2016.
3. Abby Grossberg Has a Bachelor’s Degree from John Hopkins University & Joined Fox News as a Senior Booking Producer
On her Staff Me Up profile, Grossberg wrote that she has a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2003. Her other social media accounts have been deleted on Facebook and LinkedIn.
The lawsuit says she joined Fox News in 2019 with over 16 years of experience in broadcast journalism.
“After graduating in 20023, with a Bachelor of Arts in Writing from John Hopkins University, Ms. Grossberg began her journalism career at CBS News, with subsequent roles of increasing responsibility at prominent networks including CNN, NBC Universal, and most recently, ABC News, where she worked as a producer on World News Tonight with David Muir for three years,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit added: “She joined Fox News as a senior booking producer for Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo in or about March 2019.”
4. Abby Grossberg’s Lawsuit Makes Accusations About Tucker Carlson & His Show
Grossberg claimed that she was “shocked to be greeted by many large and blown-up photographs of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage” on her first full day on the Tucker Carlson team.
She was asked an “uncomfortable sexual question” about Maria Bartiromo and was sent a “series of harassing and unprofessional late-night emails” about a decision she made by a producer, the lawsuit says.
Some of her allegations revolve around Tucker Carlson. For example, she accused members of Tucker Carlson Tonight including Carlson of having “believed they and the show have the power to influence and manipulate U.S. politics and elections.”
Carlson was considering going to Trump’s resort to stage an intervention to stop Trump from announcing his presidential candidacy for the 2024 election, the lawsuit says.
Grossberg also accused Carlson of making comments about January 6, “Taken as a whole, the video record does not support the claim that January 6 was an insurrection. In fact, it demolishes that claim.”
Carlson “attempted to spin and manufacture another false narrative to defray blame from Fox News about the January 6th insurrection, this time, characterizing the Capitol attack as an FBI coup,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says Grossberg “was isolated, overworked, undervalued, denied opportunities for promotion, and generally treated significantly worse than her male counterparts, even when those men were less qualified than her.”
She sought a fresh start by accepting a position with Tucker Carlson, but she wrote that she “went from the proverbial frying pan into the fire,” the lawsuit says.
As head of booking on Carlson’s show, Grossberg “continued to endure a work environment that subjugates women based on vile sexist stereotypes, typecasts, religious minorities, and belittles their traditions, and demonstrates little to no regard for those suffering from mental illness,” the lawsuit notes.
She wrote that “Mr. Carlson’s derogatory comments towards women, and his disdain for those who dare to object to such misogyny, is well known on the set of TCT.”
Grossberg’s lawyer told Business Insider that Carlson would still be deposed. “Even if the judge agrees somehow that he shouldn’t be a named defendant, there’s still no way that they’ll get around us deposing him,” Grossberg’s lawyer Tanvir Rahman said. “He’s still a relevant witness.
5. Abby Grossberg Argued in Her Lawsuit That Fox News Retaliated Against Her Because She’s a Woman & Jewish
Grossberg said in the lawsuit that Fox News retaliated against her after she “complained about the unlawful harassment” and said she was targeted based on her gender and Jewish religion.
She said in the lawsuit that she spoke to a superior and was called into a meeting and given a warning.
Grossberg eventually sought “protected FMLA leave supported by her therapist,” the lawsuit says.
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