Was discrimination lawsuit against Tucker Carlson the final straw?

Was this discrimination lawsuit the final straw for Tucker Carlson? Ex-booker claims senior staff from his show made anti-Semitic comments and fostered ‘sexist’ office which was ‘plastered with blown-up photos of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit’

• Tucker Carlson was unceremoniously fired by Fox News yesterday 
• A lawsuit filed in March by Abby Grossberg is believed to be behind the move  

A discrimination lawsuit filed against Tucker Carlson by a former booker may have been the deathknell for the lightning rod host, who was unceremoniously fired yesterday without warning after reigning over the network for years. 

Carlson – who will be paid the remainder of his $20million-a-year contract – is yet to comment on his sudden ousting from the network. According to The Wall Street Journal, he found out he was being let go just ten minutes before it was externally announced in an emotionless statement. 

His departure comes just five days after Fox settled a gargantuan defamation claim filed by Dominion Voting Systems which alleged its hosts knew they were pushing false information about election fraud but did it anyway for ratings. 

It also comes amid criticism of Carlson’s January 6 coverage – he claimed Republicans and Democrats overexaggerated the extent of the violence of that day, and presented surveillance footage from inside the Capitol to prove it. It fell flat among many in Washington, but his die-hard fans lapped it up. 

Neither of those controversies is believed to have single-handedly decided his fate. 

In March, former booker Abby Grossberg (right) filed a discrimination claim against Tucker and a handful of his senior producers who she claimed fostered a sexist and anti-Semitic workplace 

Instead, insiders say a recent lawsuit alleging bullying, sexism and anti-Semitism among his senior staff coupled with his own ‘derogatory’ remarks about senior News Corp executives is what is said to have sent Rupert Murdoch over the edge. 

The lawsuit was filed last month by Abby Grossberg, a former booking producer who worked on both Maria Bartiromo’s show and Carlson’s. 

Most of the allegations are not against Carlson but rather his senior staff. 

The lawsuit says however that he fostered an environment where ‘unprofessionalism reigned supreme, and the staff’s distaste and disdain for women infiltrated almost every workday decision.’

She claims she was personally subjected to anti-Semitism by Alexander McCaskill, a senior producer, because he installed a ‘preposterous Christmas’ display in the booking area despite knowing she was Jewish, along with a sign that read ‘Hanukah bush’ which she took as a personal insult. 

McCaskill, according to the lawsuit, also tormented another Jewish employee for buying lunch from Breads Bakery, which Grossberg claims he called the ‘Jew bakery’.  

She alleges in a 79-page discrimination claim that while deciding the framework of Carlson’s primetime show, producers including Justin Wells – Carlson’s senior executive producer who also left Fox yesterday – chose female guests based on their appearance and made inappropriate remarks about women colleagues. 

Grossberg’s lawsuit makes specific allegations against Justin Wells (left), Carlson’s senior executive producer who also left Fox yesterday, and Alexander McCaskill (right), another senior producer from his show 

Grossberg also claims she was pressured by Fox lawyers into lying or downplaying her concerns about Dominion. Fox has vigorously refuted those claims 

She claims their office was ‘plastered’ with ‘blown up photographs of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage.’ 

‘The images were plastered onto her computer and elsewhere throughout the office. Apparently, the “joke” was that Speaker Pelosi looked terrible in a bathing suit. 

‘The “joke” was that Speaker Pelosi looked terrible in a bathing suit,’ the lawsuit reads. 

She claims she was hauled into Wells’ office the next day where he asked if Bartiromo was ‘f*****g Kevin McCarthy’, and that there was a ‘pervasive’ culture of misogyny at the show. 

Grossberg says she was ‘ignored’ when she suggested balancing segments by adding female guests. 

She described a ‘crass and sexist discussion’ about whether Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was ‘hotter or more f****ble’ than her Republican rival Tudor Dixon, and also claims there were frequent discussions where ‘unprofessionalism reigned supreme’.

Grossberg also claims she was pressured by Fox attorneys not to share incriminating information while being grilled as part of the Dominion lawsuit. 

That specific claim has been vigorously refuted by Fox. 

‘FOX News engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review. 

‘Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will continue to vigorously defend Fox against her unmeritorious legal claims which are riddled with false allegations against the network and our employees,’ a network spokesman told DailyMail.com. 

Grossberg complains that she was subjected to gender discrimination while working both on Carlson’s show and Maria Baritomo’s, and that she was paid less by male counterparts. 

Carlson’s firing was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch, according to sources cited yesterday by The Los Angeles Times, and was executed by Lachlan Murdoch

Grossberg’s lawsuit was not just aimed at Carlson. 

The aforementioned producers are also named as defendants, along with Fox as a corporation. 

Carlson’s firing was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch, according to sources cited yesterday by The Los Angeles Times.  

One network insider told DailyMail.com that staff were stunned by the decision. 

‘Tucker still hasn’t been given any indication of why he was taken off the air. His producer Justin wells was fired too.

‘We believe Rupert wants to sell the company and it’s harder to find an institutional buyer with Tucker as the main star. 

‘Tucker gone makes it more of an appealing media company to buy.’ 

Shares in Fox Corp, the company that owns the news network, slid by up to 5 percent yesterday. 

Grossberg’s attorneys claimed victory yesterday after Carlson’s firing. 

In a statement, they called it an ‘admission’ of guilt by Fox. 

‘This is a step towards accountability for the election lies and baseless conspiracy theories spread by Fox News, something I witnessed firsthand at the network, as well as for the abuse and harassment I endured while Head of Booking and Senior Producer for Tucker Carlson Tonight,’ Grossberg said. 

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