New details emerged on Monday of former-Fox News host Andrea Tantaros' wrongful termination lawsuit against former-network chair Roger Ailes.
"Fox News masquerades as a defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny," Tantaros alleged in the suit, as detailed by The New York Times.
"Ailes did not act alone," the suit added. "He may have been the primary culprit, but his actions were condoned by his most senior lieutenants, who engaged in a concerted effort to silence Tantaros by threats, humiliation and retaliation"
Tantaros was demoted from her co-hosting job at Fox News' "The Five" to a lower-profile spot on daytime talk show "Outnumbered" in 2015. Then in April, she was fired from the network after she refused Ailes' alleged sexual advances.
From The Times:
[Tantaros] said in the suit that she was repeatedly told by Fox executives that she could not wear pants on the air because “Roger wants to see your legs.”
[...]
[Ailes] asked Ms. Tantaros to turn around “so I can get a good look at you,” the lawsuit charges, adding that Ms. Tantaros refused. Soon after, she was moved from “The Five” to a lower-rated show, “Outnumbered,” that aired at midday.
Read the full report here.
UPDATE: Tantaros' lawsuit also claims former-Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown "made sexually inappropriate comments to her while on set, and put his hands on her lower waist," according to The Boston Globe.
Tantaros alleged Brown — who is now a political contributor and on-call host at the network — told her she "would be fun to go to a nightclub with" and "snuck up behind [her] while she was purchasing lunch and put his hands on her lower waist."
"Her statement about our limited on air, green room interactions are false," Brown responded in an email to The Globe. "There were never any circumstances of any kind whatsoever in which I had any interaction with her or any other employee at Fox, outside the studio."
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