NEW YORK _ When Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chief executive Roger Ailes in July 2016, she figured her career was over.
"I thought I would be home for years, crying. Instead, they started an investigation. All these other women came forward. And two weeks later, he was fired," says the former "Fox & Friends" anchor on a warm afternoon in early September. It is nearly three years to the day after she reached a $20-million settlement with 21st Century Fox and received an extraordinary public apology from her former employer _ a key milestone in what would eventually become known as the #MeToo movement.
"There is no way I could have known how this story would play out."
By toppling one of the most powerful figures in American media, Carlson sent a message to other survivors _ not to mention enterprising journalists _ that even seemingly untouchable men such as Harvey Weinstein and Bill O'Reilly could be held accountable for their alleged transgressions.
Instead of crying at home as she once feared, Carlson has been able to pursue other professional opportunities. The Miss America winner has published a book, "Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back," and advocated for the end of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts _ which, she says, have enabled workplace harassment by silencing women, burying their allegations and keeping predators on the job.
Once ridiculed on "The Daily Show," Carlson is now in the unexpected position of having two acclaimed actresses play her onscreen _ Naomi Watts in the recent Ailes-centered Showtime series "The Loudest Voice" and Nicole Kidman in the upcoming Jay Roach film "Bombshell," focused on the women at Fox who were harassed by Ailes.
She also weathered a controversial run as the chairwoman of the Miss America Organization, where she pushed to drop the swimsuit competition but was accused of "silencing" and "marginalizing" then-reigning Miss America Cara Mund. Carlson is excited to return to broadcasting with a series of topical documentaries for Lifetime, "Beyond the Headlines: Escaping the NXIVM Cult with Gretchen Carlson," which aired Sept. 21, and "Beyond the Headlines: The College Admissions Scandal with Gretchen Carlson," which airs Oct. 12.
"I've gained so much more perspective over these last three years," she says, "and feel like I'm the journalist out there to lead us into the 21st century."
