Gretchen Carlson

And I actually got a huge meeting with a national television executive in New York. And he spent the whole day helping me. And I thought, wow, he really likes me. And he thinks I'm smart and all this. And we went to dinner and we were in the back of a car service. And I was going back to my friend's apartment. And all of a sudden, he was on top of me and his tongue was down my throat.

And I actually got a huge meeting with a national television executive in New York. And he spent the whole day helping me. And I thought, wow, he really likes me. And he thinks I'm smart and all this. And we went to dinner and we were in the back of a car service. And I was going back to my friend's apartment. And all of a sudden, he was on top of me and his tongue was down my throat.

And I was like, what the hell is going on? And I... panicked. I somehow got myself away from him and got out of the car. And I was like, wait a minute, what just happened to me? You can't do that to me. And yet I sobbed and sobbed. I never told anyone. And three weeks later, this time I was in LA, I was meeting with a high powered PR executive. And again, in a car, I

And I was like, what the hell is going on? And I... panicked. I somehow got myself away from him and got out of the car. And I was like, wait a minute, what just happened to me? You can't do that to me. And yet I sobbed and sobbed. I never told anyone. And three weeks later, this time I was in LA, I was meeting with a high powered PR executive. And again, in a car, I

I got into the passenger seat. He took my neck in his hands and he shoved my face into his crotch. I couldn't breathe. I was like, what is happening to me again? I managed to get away from him. Again, never told anyone about these sexual assaults. It was actually when I was speaking to a Donald Trump accuser to write my book, Be Fierce, after my situation at Fox.

I got into the passenger seat. He took my neck in his hands and he shoved my face into his crotch. I couldn't breathe. I was like, what is happening to me again? I managed to get away from him. Again, never told anyone about these sexual assaults. It was actually when I was speaking to a Donald Trump accuser to write my book, Be Fierce, after my situation at Fox.

where I was telling her these stories, and she said to me, Gretchen, you realize that that was sexual assault, right? And I said, nah, nah, nah, nah. She goes, Gretchen, that was sexual assault. And I myself hadn't called it that, even though I had come forward already a year prior with sexual harassment.

where I was telling her these stories, and she said to me, Gretchen, you realize that that was sexual assault, right? And I said, nah, nah, nah, nah. She goes, Gretchen, that was sexual assault. And I myself hadn't called it that, even though I had come forward already a year prior with sexual harassment.

Women, what we do is we have these experiences, we stuff them down deep into our souls so that we never think about them ever again, because that's what society's told us to do. And that's what I had done.

Women, what we do is we have these experiences, we stuff them down deep into our souls so that we never think about them ever again, because that's what society's told us to do. And that's what I had done.

And it felt so liberating to have somebody put a name on it, what it actually was, and for me to actually own it and to be proud to stand up and say, this was horrible that this happened to me, but I'm proud to share it with you in the sharing what has happened to you.

And it felt so liberating to have somebody put a name on it, what it actually was, and for me to actually own it and to be proud to stand up and say, this was horrible that this happened to me, but I'm proud to share it with you in the sharing what has happened to you.

And look, if I speak in front of 2,000 people and I ask them to raise their hands if they've ever faced any kind of sexual misconduct in their life, every single hand goes up. So everyone listening knows what we're talking about. But yeah, I faced it at an early age. And just as a caveat, that PR executive, just to show you how the shame stays with you for your life,

And look, if I speak in front of 2,000 people and I ask them to raise their hands if they've ever faced any kind of sexual misconduct in their life, every single hand goes up. So everyone listening knows what we're talking about. But yeah, I faced it at an early age. And just as a caveat, that PR executive, just to show you how the shame stays with you for your life,

That PR executive, 25 years later, maybe 30, was walking the halls of Fox up on a floor where strangers couldn't get up. So somebody had invited him and I saw him walk past my office and I went into panic. I started sweating. All those feelings came back about what he had done to me. I got up from my desk. I slammed the door. I was shaking.

That PR executive, 25 years later, maybe 30, was walking the halls of Fox up on a floor where strangers couldn't get up. So somebody had invited him and I saw him walk past my office and I went into panic. I started sweating. All those feelings came back about what he had done to me. I got up from my desk. I slammed the door. I was shaking.

I was like, how am I going to get out of my office without running into this person? That's how scared I was all those years later. And it shows you the shame that these kinds of situations put on women, that it was affecting me that much. I was still so scared of him all those years later.

I was like, how am I going to get out of my office without running into this person? That's how scared I was all those years later. And it shows you the shame that these kinds of situations put on women, that it was affecting me that much. I was still so scared of him all those years later.

My colleague in Lift Our Voices, my nonprofit, she says that for years she was a political consultant. She gave advice to young women if they came to her for something bad, she would just say, oh, don't bring it up. This is what women deal with.

My colleague in Lift Our Voices, my nonprofit, she says that for years she was a political consultant. She gave advice to young women if they came to her for something bad, she would just say, oh, don't bring it up. This is what women deal with.