Bombshell (2019) Movie Script
Welcome to the The Kelly File,
I'm Megyn Kelly.
Breaking tonight, polls are moving,
the race is changing.
And more than a dozen Republican candidates
are trying to make themselves heard
with a little more than one week left
to the debate that could change everything.
And we are the gateway.
We the questioners are the gateways,
we at FOX and CNN and everybody else
who gets a chance
to actually moderate a Presidential Debate
with these guys.
I mean, these guys, they deserve
to face tough questioning.
As Chris says and I agree,
they want George Washington's job,
and they better earn it.
They better show the American people
they are worthy of it.
A lot of folks assume Donald Trump
would flame out by now.
They have been proven wrong.
Now, wait, here.
We've got to get to this.
Because this is just breaking
on "The Daily Beast."
The headline is ex-wife, Donald Trump
made me feel violated during sex.
Ivana Trump once accused
the real estate tycoon of, quote, "rape."
Somebody who speaks for Donald Trump
has come out and denied it as well.
And added that legally he says,
you cannot rape your spouse.
Here's the one thing you probably know
about me: I have a big mouth.
Roger, you have Megyn on line one.
- Megyn.
- Morning, Roger.
What'd you do to piss off Trump?
We did a segment on a recent coverage
of his ex-wife's rape claim.
You're giving that oxygen
before the first goddamn debate?
Roger, we had a full screen
of Ivana's recantation, which is soft.
She accused him during a divorce.
His lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims
you can't rape a spouse, pissed me off.
Great, the future of Fox News
is now a goddamn feminist.
No, I'm not a feminist, I'm a lawyer.
We need him. Clean this up. Now!
Unfortunately, when it comes to
politicians and the media,
Roger Ailes knows his shit.
Appointed head of the Fox News Channel
by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Roger transformed cable news,
barging Fox to the forefront.
Years before, to get Nixon elected,
he created the modern Town Home Debate.
To get Reagan elected, he made him
address the elephant in the room.
I will not make age
an issue of this campaign.
I am not going to exploit my opponent's
youth and inexperience.
To get George H. W. Bush elected,
somebody did a Willie Horton ads.
Roger denies it was him, a lot.
I have been astounded
at the number of Americans
who are fine with our country
moving in a socialist direction.
Here we go.
News is like a ship.
You take your hands off the wheel
and it pulls hard to the left.
Look at this.
James Murdoch, tell me
those lips haven't sucked cock.
This is what nepotism gets him.
Roger, rules Fox from behind
these doors on the second floor.
When employees say "the second floor",
they mean Roger,
or the many VPs pay to enact his will
without qualms or questions.
Now I know what some of you
are thinking, and no,
Roger does not tell us
what to say on air.
He doesn't have to.
- Love that dress, Megyn.
- Thank you.
No, really, I love it.
He is not horny.
He's just ambitious.
Roger is always watching.
The Eagles postpone their appearance
because co-founder Glenn Frey
is too ill to travel...
Morons.
The phone in his office connects
directly to the control room
which is down on the first floor.
Yes, sir?
You fucking idiots! That's not
Glenn Frey, that's Don Henley.
Dump the B-roll.
Back to anchor.
That's not Glenn Frey,
that's Don fucking Henley.
What the fuck Kayla?!
I'm sorry, I don't know secular music.
The Eagles?
Only the biggest band of the 70s.
When my Mom was a toddler.
They all look the same,
they're just old.
Down in the basement
is the Fox newsroom.
All our shows have crews
who work in these pods.
This is my staff.
Hey, guys.
From below the city,
so it smells like mold.
But there hasn't been
a rat citing in four months.
The anchors and their
key producers have base camps.
Here, on 17th and 18th.
Often decorated with viewer art.
And everyone in this building,
even Roger, answers to 8th.
The 8th floor is home to CEO
Rupert Murdoch and his sons.
This is the power behind the power.
The actual studios are scattered
around the building.
Most anchor and show offices are here,
above our Fox Business, Radio,
New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Most of the American conservative
establishment in one building.
The stage is finally set for tonight's
Republican debate in Cleveland.
All the candidates are looking
for a boost tonight,
but only 10 of them have a chance
to appeal to voters in the prime time.
Trump has a real problem with women.
I wanna ask about it.
Did you back that up?
Yes.
Good morning.
Morning, Chris.
Excuse me.
Do you think that's it?
Sorry.
It's probably nerves.
No. When it's nerves
I hear my heart.
I can't hear it.
That's your first question?
Is this some feminist thing?
She's not a feminist.
It goes to his electability.
Did you run it pass Tom Lowell?
He didn't go after Trump.
The second floor said that?
No.
The 8th. The Murdochs.
Rupert called Roger and said
about Trump: "Enough is enough."
Look, all Trump does is watch Fox.
Roger gave him air for his
crazy theories and idiot grievances.
Why?
'Cause Roger shares a lot of them.
Are you sure you wanna
take that on?
Yes.
I don't know if these are strong enough,
but they help with nausea.
You go live in five hours.
I'll be fine.
Okay.
If you can try to keep it down.
Fuck, stop making that face, Julia.
I'm not making a face.
Five hours?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Don't worry. We're behind you.
Way behind you.
There's a blanket on the chair,
and just in case, a trash can beside.
Mr. Trump, one of the things
people love about you
is you speak your mind
and you don't use a politician's filter.
However, that is not without its downsides,
in particular, when it comes to women.
You've called women you don't like:
"fat pigs, dogs, slobs,
and disgusting animals."
What is she doing?
Your Twitter account--
Only Rosie O'Donnell.
Great TV. Show
is what she's doing.
Your Twitter account...
For the record, it was
well beyond Rosie O'Donnell.
Yes, I'm sure it was.
Your Twitter account has several
disparaging comments about women's looks.
You once told a contestant
on Celebrity Apprentice
it would be a pretty picture
to see her on her knees.
Does that sound to you like the temperament
of a man we should elect as President...
She's calling him out.
...who was likely to be
the Democratic nominee,
that you are a part
of the war on women?
Call me stupid, but I thought
he'd respect the challenge.
Trump is pissed.
He was up all night tweeting.
Crap, really?
What was he tweeting?
"Fox viewers give low marks
to bimbo Megyn Kelly."
I hate that word.
It says you're too sexy to be smart,
but not smart enough to be sexy.
"Wow, Megan Kelly
really bombed tonight.
People going wild
on Twitter. Funny to watch."
Donald Trump. Donald Trump.
Okay.
How many times did he tweet?
Like 15.
- Fift...
- Yeah.
He's never gonna be President.
Wait.
Am I gonna be the story?
No.
I'm gonna be the story?
No.
Gretchen's giving this 2 blocks?
It's that far down the food chain?
We should get you a security team.
Think it over. A Trump called
me before the debate.
He said he knew that
your first question was harsh.
- How could he know that?
- No idea.
I sure didn't.
It was good TV. Unexpected.
Goddamn tough.
Proud of you Megyn.
Thanks, Roger.
Heard you were sick.
Yeah.
I think it was in my coffee.
- Where did you get it?
- My driver.
He insisted on some
fancy coffee joint.
You know this guy?
No, he's a driver, Roger.
- Did you know him?
- No.
You know better than that!
Okay, yes. Roger Ailes is paranoid.
But his parents were nuts.
As he drove off to college
they filed for divorce.
And didn't tell him.
At Christmas, he came home to find
strangers in his house, and all his things,
photos, and yearbooks,
and trophies thrown out.
Is it any wonder the man created
a nostalgia machine for lost America?
This is crazy.
We're sitting here wondering if a candidate
for President poisoned my coffee.
It's only crazy until it happens,
and it happens.
I hate being the story.
I'll call Trump, you go on vacation,
stay above it all.
He won't dent your ratings.
Nobody stops watching
because of the conflict.
They stop watching
when there isn't one.
Some viewers will listen to him.
Well, some, but as long as he keeps saying
Megyn Kelly is unwatchable,
that means he's watching it,
they know that.
And they'll watch what he watches.
You'll be okay.
See you in a week.
Drink up buddy boy.
Thank you.
Here's to a week of no kids
but my own.
Cheers.
Okay. Frank Bruni, The Times:
"The debate was riveting, it was admirable,
it compels me to write
a cluster of words
I never imagined writing,
hooray for Fox News."
That's gonna make you happy.
Appraisal, tangled up, and then insult.
It doesn't make me happy, Gil.
You could see that was blood
coming out of her eyes,
blood coming out of her... wherever...
Oh my God!
Did he just accused me
of anger menstruating?
Yes.
I'm calling Roger.
No, I'll talk to him.
Take a vacation, I'll handle this.
Doug.
Would you like to correct yourself
on that other talking point,
about men being dominant?
We don't have any time.
We're running over.
HR's on the phone
'cause you called me a skirt.
I gotta read that manual again.
I'll bring it to your office
right after the show.
Some guy came up to me and said:
"I saw you on 'Fox & Friends' this morning.
Is Gretchen as cute in person
as she is on TV?"
And what did you answer him, Eric?
Beautiful dress. You look wonderful.
Great color.
In summary, Gretchen's beautiful.
Beautiful. You look beautiful.
Thank you.
Well, you look fabulous too!
She got a wax?
Doesn't waxing hurt?
He looks at me for that.
Women are everywhere, we're letting
them play golf and tennis now.
It's out of control.
You read the headlines,
since men are so great.
She needed a shower.
We had to turn off camera,
it was even worse.
Steve simply started ignoring me.
What did Mr. Ailes say
when you complained?
He said:
"You act like it only rains on women."
"Stop getting goddamn offended
by everything."
"You're a men hater."
And...
"Learn to get along with the boys."
And he took me off the show.
But gave you your own.
Afternoon dead zone.
It was a demotion,
and we both knew it.
even though I did increase
the ratings by 15%.
He moved me to second base.
Back in Minnesota, before I graduated
summa cum laude from Stanford,
Before, I was crowned Miss America.
I played second base
in the 6th grade softball league.
I hate second base.
Did he ever offer to reverse
that decision if you made yourself
sexually available?
Not directly.
With Roger, it's always about loyalty.
He says he can fix things
if you're loyal,
and you can guess the ultimate
expression of loyalty.
We don't guess.
Oral sex.
Roger likes to joke:
"to get ahead you gotta
give a little head."
Really.
But Mr. Ailes never unambiguously
asks for oral sex?
It was always just a joke,
a put down, like:
"you're sexy,
but you're too much work."
I have a whole list in here.
Because that's just how Roger is.
What do you want out of a lawsuit?
What do I want?
I want this behavior to stop.
Someone has to speak up.
Someone has to get mad.
That may not be you.
Your contract will have a clause
requiring secret mandatory arbitration.
You familiar with
Rudi Bakhtiar's case?
Yes.
You're supposed to be.
My first act as D.C. Bureau Chief.
I want you down here full time.
Oh my God! That's amazing. Yes!
You do know what this means for you?
Shit, he doesn't think I'm ready.
Brian, I will not let you down.
I'm gonna bust my ass for you.
Rudi, come one, that's a given.
So what's the problem?
But... Look...
You do get how I feel
about you, right?
Oh fuck! Fuck!
I'm glad you said that, Brian.
Because I really respect you too.
No. No. I mean...
How I really feel.
Just look confused.
All I want from you, Rudi, is to see
the inside of your hotel room.
Goddammit!
That's all it's gonna take.
Don't react. Make it your fault.
Brian, if I've done anything
to make you think
I feel that way
about you, I apologize.
Friends.
We're friends.
Professionals.
We have a great professional vibe.
Now sell it.
I just don't do that,
I've never had to do that for a job.
I know. I know...
You know I'd kill for D.C.
But there is no way
I'm showing you my hotel room.
This is gonna ruin my career.
Now I feel like a creep.
No. You're so not.
Fucking creep.
They fired me.
I'm a lousy reporter, apparently.
Assholes.
She proved what they
wanted her to prove.
No one really wins
by suing Fox News.
It's been our experience that
once you go public in your job.
No one will hire you.
If you're able to stick it out at Fox,
gather more evidence,
you might be able to sue
Ailes himself, instead of Fox.
And that is why I'm here,
because Martin Hayman told me
that over here, in New Jersey, I can avoid
arbitration by suing Roger, personally.
He says that you've managed
to change the law,
and that we could call
other women and show a pattern.
Will other women come forward?
Yes. They will.
You live and work in New York.
Roger has a house
in Bergen County,
where he stays when he can't
make it upstate.
You did your homework, Ms. Carlson.
No fingerprints.
That's how much I practiced
the violin as a child.
If Roger finds out you came to us,
he won't just fire you.
He will bang us with
a million dollar lawsuit,
he will attack you personally.
These men care more about
their reputations than they do money.
Roger won't stop.
- Oh, I know.
- You know that?
Colleagues you admire will say publicly
you're superior ambitious woman
who's suing because
her career staled.
Let them.
Okay. If we work hard,
you might be lucky enough
to watch the most powerful man in TV
go after you with everything he's got.
Thank you.
I'm telling you, other women
will come forward.
Let's hope.
Frankly, I think you have a gap
in the network, Mr. Shine.
There are millions of young
conservatives in this country.
You can look at my
Instagram account, there are.
They don't have a voice
on your network.
I see myself as an influencer
in the Jesus space.
Don't get me wrong, I've learned
a ton from Gretchen,
I truly have, of course, but...
No judgment here, my perspective
as an evangelical millennial,
it's just not that helpful to her.
To be honest, Mr. Shine.
She's sort of establishment
with a capital "e".
That's why I wanted
to talk to you in private.
Kayla, before we move you up.
I wanna ask you something personal.
What do you think of our slogan?
Fair and balanced.
I'm glad you asked.
Our new shows and our
opinion shows are very different.
Our news is impartial.
It's top of the line.
Our opinion shows...
Roger gave a voice to people
who didn't have one,
and he balanced
the American conversation.
So, our news people are fair.
Our entertainers are very
necessary form of balance.
Attagirl. Perfect.
But today, we're sticking up for girls
on International Day of the Girl.
And for the first time
on cable news, here I am
makeup free - for a reason.
Tomorrow I'll be back
in my regular makeup.
And I thank the other brave women
who came on today, show, sounds makeup.
Let's continue to tell our girls -
just be yourself.
Check.
Great show.
Get me some makeup.
I have some bad news,
Kayla is leaving us for the asshole.
O'Reilly?
It is our highest rated program.
And we can't be?
No. I believe in real story.
Did you just see that segment?
Did you see it? Did you see--
We're doing something unique here.
Together. All of us.
- Can you just--
- Sure.
Listen to me.
I can get you where you wanna be.
I can protect you,
just don't get ahead of yourself.
You have a lot to learn,
I can teach you.
I'm not getting ahead of myself, Gretchen.
I'm taking the next step.
I learn by doing.
Come on. Come on. Please.
I'm confused. You want me
to pass on a promotion so
you can help me get the same promotion
on a show with worse ratings.
I want a little loyalty. I need loyalty.
Women together.
I'm loyal to the network.
It's not us versus them, Gretchen.
Miss America!
Roger. Hi there.
This is the treat.
What the fuck are you doing?
A segment on how
we oversexualize women.
You said be more of myself.
You know what makeup does?
Keeps everybody from seeing you sweat.
Most of the mean tweets that I received
are about my appearance.
So, it is important that we fight back
against this kind of bullying.
Bullying isn't meanness.
Bullying is people with more power
hitting people with less.
These jack-asses have cell phones.
You have fucking TV-show!
We have to fight the objectification.
Bullshit!
Mouth shot. Ears open.
Nobody wants to watch a middle-aged woman
sweat away through menopause.
Not on a National fucking Television!
Thank you for the advice.
Objectification...
All right.
Gretchen, I really appreciate--
Shut up!
Good luck.
Good one, honey.
Hey.
It's a zoo here.
Phones ringing off the hook.
Anyone care he called me bimbo?
Not really.
He tweeted the GQ photo.
- And?
- Torn.
God, I'd love to be slut-shamed.
Gil wants to ask again
if we should make a statement.
No. No response. Zero.
Doug just lost. I gotta go.
Next time, honey.
Good game.
Trump. Sixteen.
Excuse me.
If you talk to my wife again,
I'll beat you to a fucking pulp.
That was weird.
You're getting some action.
Oh really?
Oh, man!
Asshole.
You don't have to worry about Trump.
You're tougher than all of those guys.
You just gotta worry
about the crazies.
I can handle a few crazies.
Trump will stop once he feels
he's won the argument.
I feel like he's less interested
in winning the argument than just
having the argument with you in public
to prove he can take on the establishment.
I'm not the establishment.
Honey, get real. You are
the establishment now.
- Mommy!
- Not yet.
You do understand I have
to be above this, right?
I have to be an anchor first,
then a woman.
The entire country is talking
about your period right now.
- Mommy!
- What?
There's a man.
What?
- Yardley!
- Look, he's right there!
Yardley, where is he?
Jesus, he's got a fucking camera!
Come here, honey.
No. No. Don't open the door.
They can't sell 'em if we're inside.
Get out! Get outta here! Go!
What were you guys doing?
Mommy and Daddy?
It was a crossword...
Mommy was just taking
a quick little nap.
- Quick one.
- It wasn't that quick.
I'm gonna have
to call Roger about security.
As clear as a bell that Megyn Kelly
has gone over to the dark side.
The more she sells out
the wider her nostrils have become.
Listen to what I just said,
have you seen them flair?
This woman was once pretty.
And the more she has sold out
the wider her nostrils have become.
They're almost porcine.
She snorts her insults at America...
Roger.
Give me a day to figure out
how we hit Trump back.
Stop by later.
I don't want my kids
hearing this crap.
Ignore the damn morons.
I'm old, fat, and ugly.
Christ, the call me Jabba the Hutt.
Hemophilia swells
my joints, can't exercise.
I feel fine but I look like shit.
And look the opposite of how I feel.
Do I let it affect me?
No. I do not.
This isn't entirely true.
Roger's also fat because he only get
a room service menu on order page two.
No goddamn orange on Fox!
But he cares a lot about looks.
Let's turn our attention to South Korea.
South Korean official say
talks with the North have...
Early on he realized for a network
to stay on 24 hours a day
you need something
to hold an audience.
That something is legs.
There's a reason for clear desks.
We need you in a shorter dress.
Wide shot! Wider!
Go to the wide shot!
I want to see her goddamn legs!
Why the fuck do you think I hired her?
Stand up and give me a spin.
Really?
Yeah. It's a visual medium.
Yeah. That's good. Sit down.
I support the law, I do,
but mass deportations, come on.
That will never work, because of the
14th Amendment, you want me to quote it?
If you are born in America -
you're an American.
Period.
Get me a demographically-friendly
Hispanic woman on immigration.
She needs to be very
demographically-friendly.
Okay. New girls up.
Kayla?
Hi, sir.
I was listening to
Rush Limbaugh this morning,
he said something kinda cool
about Anthony Weiner,
how he's an exhibitionist in every aspect
of how he presents himself politically.
Is she the best you can do?
Bill Shine asked us to give her a try.
Okay, let's not lose focus,
back to immigration.
Oh my God!
I can't get fired.
This is the only job
I have ever wanted.
I don't wanna be on TV,
I wanna be on Fox.
My family... Every day...
Every holiday...
Especially holidays,
they watch Fox News.
We're like addicts.
Fox is how we do church.
You know when they make
the corner logo turn?
'Cause folks have box burned
into their TV screens. That's us.
Kayla, you're not getting fired.
He cannot scale his anger,
he's a perpetual outrage machine.
That's why crazies love him.
No offense to your family.
You wanna do the folders?
No crying at Fox.
No crying.
Let me explain your mistake here.
Rush is on Hannity's team.
They are the competition,
their GOP party hacks.
He thinks he's way ahead of him.
Ceil full of drudge and break bar.
Do not talk radio.
Okay.
Also stop worrying
if the story's legit.
And if you can't source it,
just go at "some are saying."
Seriously?
You have to adopt the mentality
of an Irish street cop.
The world is a bad place.
People are lazy morons.
Minorities are criminals.
Sex is sick but interesting.
Ask yourself what would scare
my grandmother,
or piss off my grandfather -
and that's a Fox story.
Are you writing this down?
Makes so much sense.
Frighten to the lay.
When you're starting a story
you need to start with a clear villain.
Liberal judge, pinhead mayor,
Vermont, Hollywood.
Conservatives wanna conserve.
You're the last defense against
Jesus-hating, trans-loving,
Clinton-controlled Armageddon, baby.
Come on.
You do believe some of that, right?
Yeah.
It's quite a face you have.
Really? Thank you.
- I'm drunk.
- I'm drunk as well.
You have a Hillary poster
in your house?
I guess I do.
Okay. My parents would be horrified
if I went home with a Democrat.
The lesbianism, however?
I'm not a lesbian.
I'm not a Democrat.
I just have two giant
Hillary posters in my kitchen.
As a joke though, right?
No, that's who I'd like
to be the President.
Are you serious?
I'm a closeted Democrat.
At Fox News?
I thought that you knew that.
No. I didn't know that.
Does anyone know that?
Can you not tell?
You can't tell anyone.
- Of course, I won't tell.
- I'm so serious.
Can I ask something?
Why do you work at Fox?
When you can work at
MSNBC or something.
I think, I like, thrive
in toxic environments.
I never know
if you're kidding or not.
I am kidding. I applied
everywhere and...
I got a job at Fox.
And I keep applying the other places,
and they keep not taking me
because I work at Fox.
Oh my Gosh.
It's okay. One day
I'm gonna be free.
What? It's not that bad.
If you're gay, it's pretty bad.
Yeah, you don't be gay at Fox.
You work for Bill O'Reilly,
you have a Hillary poster?
You do know he likes to call up
female producers and wack off, right?
Bill?
Yes, Bill.
No.
You haven't heard about
Andrea Mackris lawsuit?
- No.
- Oh my God.
This should be in a welcome packing.
She was one of the
Associate Producers.
He took her, and only her, to the
Republican National Convention.
Called her up at 11 p.m.
Touching himself, and telling her
what he wanted to do to her
with the old falafel.
Are you kidding?
It's on the internet,
and then--
quote, "using a vibrator upon himself."
Like he brought a vibrator
from home to the convention?
Yes, well, you have to bring a vibrator
from home to the convention.
The question is, what does a man
do with a vibrator?
Do you place it alongside the shaft?
I don't wanna hear that.
"Fucking die, bitch."
"If I see you, you better run."
"I wouldn't be sleeping
too soundly if I were you."
Trump's lit the torches.
You're getting security tonight.
All I want is for this
to go away, Roger.
Look, every general in history
has gone into battle feeling the same.
Fine.
I'll read a statement, at the top
saying: "Yes, Trump is attacking me."
But I'm not going to respond,
any defense will come from you.
Not right now.
You set a record on viewer email.
Let me guess. None of it on my side.
No.
Our audience loves Trump.
And the hell of a lot more
than the Murdochs realize.
More than Trump knows.
He's tweeting "we made peace."
He'll come on 'Fox & Friends' tomorrow.
He needs us. We need him.
It's got nothing to do with you.
All right. It's late.
I have dogs to feed.
Just to be clear.
I will not be kissing
Trump's ass at nine o'clock.
We fight tomorrow's fights tomorrow.
Let me see that
statement again, Bill.
You may have heard
there was a dust up involving
yours truly and presidential
contender Donald...
How are you doing, Megyn?
Hanging in there.
Give him hell, Megyn.
We go live in
five... four... three... two...
I just got back from a weekend at the beach
with my husband and my three kids.
Did anything happen
in the news while I was gone?
You may have heard there was
a dust up involving yours truly
and presidential contender
Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump was upset
with a question I asked...
Cute baby.
I gotta say I can't stand your show.
You guys at Fox, you're doing
terrible things to our country.
I hope that makes you feel better.
How you treat people you disagree with
says everything about you.
Jesus was a white man, too.
He was a historical figure,
that's a verifiable fact,
as is Santa, I just want the kids
watching to know that.
But my point is, how do you just revise it,
and change Santa from white to black?
Oh, hi.
Wow, nice dress.
I hope you don't wear that
to Sunday service.
Please, I have church jeans,
so I can hood a latte on my knee.
Oh my God, Kayla.
Did you see this?
What?
I'm a creep.
That is gross.
Are you crazy?
That's my friend from college.
I'm just looking out for you.
Who are you stalking?
No one.
I feel for you.
That show.
His bark is worse than his bite.
I work for Roger, we have
two, three and four donut days.
Sugar does make everybody crazy.
No, these aren't donuts he eats,
they're donuts he throws at somebody.
No, he's a pussycat.
Come say hi, we're always looking
for a new talent.
Really?
Now?
Sure.
That's Roger's private elevator.
Hang on a sec.
Hello.
Have a seat.
Thank you.
Liberals don't get Megyn.
She's a star, not because
she thinks Santa's white.
but because she'll say it.
That's right.
If you have courage in the spotlight,
it's powerful to watch.
And she went up 30% that quarter.
And rather that too.
All audience is want is authenticity.
For two hundred years,
Santa is a fat white guy.
They think Santa,
that's what they see.
You wanna change that? Fine.
Let's discuss it without
you calling my people racist.
Exactly.
A liberal is somebody
who wants to live in a future
that he is too lazy, or too arrogant
to actually create.
In my family, Santa's always been white.
And according to my Grandaddy, a communist.
So, that's my family.
So, what can I do for you, Kayla?
Why did you drop by to see me?
The thing is, sir.
I actually started on air during college
in Central Florida. Weather.
I wanna convince you
that that is where I belong, Mr. Ailes.
I think I'd be freakin' phenomenal
on your network.
It's Mr. Murdoch's air.
But I did create it.
I do run it.
You have a pretty face.
Stand up and give me a twirl.
Now?
Yeah, just a quick spin.
Sure.
That's very good.
Pull your dress up
and let me see your legs.
It's a visual medium, Kayla.
Come on.
Higher.
Higher.
That's fine, Kayla.
Why don't you sit down.
Thank you.
You have a great body.
Thank you.
Mr. Ailes. I'd appreciated if
you didn't mention--
No, of course.
I'm here to help my employees,
not to hurt them.
Anything that happens here, in this room,
is strictly between you and me.
Okay.
Of course, it cuts both ways.
I'm discreet, but unforgiving.
Success in broadcast television
is hard, it's arbitrary.
This is the most competitive
industry on Earth.
You understand what I'm saying?
We could work together.
I can pluck you out and move you
all the way to the front of the line.
But I want something in return.
You know what that is, Kayla?
Loyalty.
I need to know that you're loyal.
I need you to find a way to prove it.
You think about that, all right?
So, we'll talk again.
Faye can show you the way out.
Thank you, sir.
Jess. Jess.
Something really weird just happened.
I just went to say hi to--
I just-- I met--
I was invited to meet Roger.
I mean nothing--
Nothing happened.
Kayla.
It's actually better for you
if you don't involve me in this.
'Cause they know the workarounds.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
This place is crazy.
No Trump! No KKK!
No fascist USA!
Jesus. Okay, we're here.
His assistant's name is Rona.
The security guard is Keith.
Got it.
Gil, last words?
Yeah, don't piss him off.
I need this job. Good luck.
I'll be waiting right here, okay?
During the day, if I'm in the office,
I have a number of people
that I'll just call out a tweet to.
It's always my right.
You probably had some pretty nasty
tweets sent your way,
I don't want that to happen
but my fans--
But you retweet some of those.
It's not just the fans.
But not the more nasty ones.
You would be amazed
with the ones I don't retweet.
Bimbo?
Well, there was a retweet, yeah.
Did I say that?
Many times.
Okay, excuse me.
Not the most horrible thing
Over your life Megyn, you've been called
a lot worse. Is that right?
That's enough.
Well, what do you think?
I think you're too solicitous.
Thank you.
With these ones I can
handle it straight positive.
I'm sorry, he attacks you
for a year straight.
And you let him off
with a fucking "oops."
What? I don't let him off.
I confront him.
I used Donald Trump.
Honey, you absolved him.
Dough, there are internal
political pressures in play here--
Yeah, I bet. I get it, Gil.
Can we have a second, guys? Please?
I'm not trying to be critical, I just--
Well, you are!
I made this go away.
I stopped his harassing bullshit for us.
I've never asked you to do that.
He is going to be the
Republican candidate for President.
I'm a news anchor,
I need access to him.
You need access?
At what fucking price?
At what price?
The price of our apartment.
My salary.
That pays our fucking bills!
Look, for the record--
No! It's been a shitty year!
Really fucking shitty year,
and I'm allowed to won it over!
You are.
Fuck.
Do we really need AR-15s
to be able to hunt deer?
Protect our families?
I'm in favor of people
being able to carry handguns.
Some of these mass shootings would've been
less deadly if that'd been the case.
But I'm also with the majority today.
Taking a stand against
semi-automatic assault weapons,
which brings us back
to the question of the day.
Should Congress reinstate
the assault weapons ban?
I know a lot of you
don't agree with me, that's fine.
Eighty nine percent
of you say "no."
And that what makes America great.
Great.
The second floor wants to see you.
- Now?
- Yeah.
This is Kayla.
Hi.
Yeah, I'll come right up then.
Ladies.
Hey.
Hot in here.
Gretchen.
How are you?
Okay. I miss our lunches.
Roger wants to see me?
No, I think it was Dianne.
I just saw her in with Bill.
All right. Wow.
See you, ladies, later then.
Bye.
Roger's ready for you, Kayla.
Okay.
Never stops.
Gretchen, you've been such
an instrumental part of the Fox family.
Absolutely.
We just wanted to tell you
that we appreciated the work--
He firing me, isn't he?
Yes.
You wanna tell me why?
What could they say?
You're sexy, but you're too much work.
You're a men hater.
To get ahead you gotta
give a little head.
Good luck, Ms. Carlson.
Do you know why
we dress soldiers the same?
So everybody knows
they're replaceable.
I refuse to be replaceable.
I finally did it. I'm out.
Did they give you a cause?
- No.
- Good.
Ready to go to war?
Oh yeah! I'm ready.
Murdoch here.
Funny. Have you seen the lawsuit?
Which lawsuit?
I'm not stopping.
Roger is being sued for sexual
harassment by Gretchen Carlson.
Where's Dad?
Paris.
Yeah?
I have your father's
attorney for you.
Thank you.
Morning, this employee
has sued Roger personally.
He doesn't know who she is.
Are you familiar with Ms. Carlson?
Until two hours ago
I've never heard about her.
More importantly, no one
heard from her after she was fired.
Wait, not even
to negotiate a severance?
No, and that suggests she knew
it was coming and she had a plan.
As News Corp. attorney,
I recommend you conduct
an internal investigation
into Roger's behavior.
I know you two have had
issues with him.
I need everyone's attention!
Listen up people!
A post employee has received
a package of anthrax, that's just above us.
Close the goddamn vents!
All of them, right now!
Roger.
Nobody opens the mail!
Roger.
We're under attack! Don't touch--
Roger!
Everything upstairs is under control.
You need to calm down.
Do not give orders in my newsroom!
If it was yours, you'd own it.
It's okay everyone,
everything's gonna be fine.
Go back to work. Thank you.
Yeah, let's look into her claims.
Done.
Hi.
Oh my God. It's anchor barbie.
I'm testing for a Fox Business.
Holy fucking Christ!
I'll call you right back.
Pull up 'The New York Times' right now.
Josh. Get me a nice shot
for Main street, no pre-seasoning.
Right.
When you're photographing
for my paper, don't wear a hoodie.
Okay.
Hoodies are creepy.
Thank you. Thank you.
What is that?
Just grocery store sushi.
Sushi is not liberal food.
I didn't say that it was.
Hi, love.
Go home. Right now.
Don't talk to anybody.
What? Roger.
I'm making out.
Go home, I'll meet you there.
What?
Fox News host Gretchen Carlson
has filed a lawsuit
against the network CEO Roger Ailes,
claiming she was fired because--
Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes is responding
to a lawsuit filed by lawyers for Gretchen Carlson--
Alleged that she was fired
after turning down sexual advances--
Carlson claimed in the lawsuit that Ailes took her off
the popular morning show 'Fox & Friends' in 2013,
cut her pay and placed her
in a less desirable afternoon time slot
because she refused to have
a sexual relationship with him.
The lawsuit was filed
in New Jersey state court...
Champ's making his rounds.
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Beth, I just talked to the Rep.
It's an online publication.
I say how sad it is.
We've got this woman
making these complaints,
when there are real victims out there.
I know Roger.
I told 'People' magazine we've been
in the office alone a lot over 15 years.
I've never seen anything
like what I'm reading now.
I say I don't even think Gretchen Carlson
has a friend in the building.
I know Roger, someone
would've told me.
They gonna quote me on that.
Not a ring of truth.
Maria Bartiromo send
variety of stock chart.
- Hey, we're up.
- Woohoo.
Hannity tweeted: "I talked to hundreds
of women at Fox this week
both on air and off,
they say it all BS."
Brit Hume too.
Brit?
"Why didn't Gretchen quit and sue,
instead of suing only after she got fired?"
Why didn't she complain?
"Why didn't she complain?" - really?
He means the anonymous hotline.
- There's a hotline?
- Yeah.
I did the harassment seminar twice.
I never heard about a hotline.
Because it's bullshit.
They have a contractual right
to monitor our communications.
A hotline in this building is like
a complaint box in occupied Paris.
It's like we're telling women,
go on, speak up for yourself, just know,
the entire network is with Roger.
No one will believe you.
They'll call you a liar.
And as of you career,
you want assignments and air time?
Go ahead, call the paranoid man
who decides you salary,
a pervert, and do that on a fucking
anonymous hotline he controls
on a phone he has
a contractual right to record.
Jesus fucking Christ!
Do you think women are idiots?
It's like if somebody striped
you naked and they want you
to walk through this office
just to fucking prove it.
Okay.
Can I see you for a minute?
What the fuck was that?
I don't know, but I liked it.
I won't call you a feminist, but,
say, there's a spectrum, you are--
Roger harassed me.
Ten years ago.
I had turned down a law firm partnership
for an entry-level job here at Fox.
Roger would call me up to New York,
to dingle prospects.
I wanted his help.
Did you...
do anything?
No.
Will you talk?
- Megyn?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
I mean, going on the record...
Jesus.
That's basically admitting
you're the weak one in the herd.
No, it's admitting you're the hot one.
It has nothing to do with that, Gil.
- Say, women?
- Oh my God.
There is a reason certain women
came to fend Roger.
If I report this, and it leaks,
it will follow me for the rest of my career.
I don't wanna be defined
by Roger's bullshit.
I refuse to be a fucking
poster-girl for sexual harassment.
He can't still
be doing that crap, right?
I mean the man is a walker.
- Viagra?
- Gil!
Help me here, please.
How do I play this?
You only ask when you already know.
If I learned anything this year,
it's to not get sucked into a fight
with someone who has better reason
to be in it than you do.
Okay.
Okay.
So, what is it you wanna do?
For right now nothing.
- Good.
- Good.
There she is.
Roger.
Hello, my sweetheart.
Sit. Sit.
You've met Mayor Giuliani before.
Of course.
There's an internal investigation,
but I'm not gonna wait for it to clear me.
The Republican Convention
in less than two weeks away.
This is bullshit. I'm gonna fight that.
The charges are absurd.
I met Roger, I love that they'd just given
me a chance to repay you
from when I was in intensive care.
Roger called my idiot doctors
every day for four weeks.
He told them he'd put me on air
live from their hospital bed
if they didn't fix every stitch
of damage done.
But I'm also here as someone
who has dealt with this issue for years,
years on the side of women.
I don't wanna see
sexual violence trivialized.
I don't wanna see it become
some damn political football.
In that spirit I need to ask,
will an investigation find
anything uncomfortable?
Define uncomfortable.
Roger, quote: "I think you I should've had
a sexual relationship a long time ago,
and then you'd be good and better
and I'd be good and better."
- Did you say that?
- No, I'm not a fool.
You missed your chance
for me to harass you? Come on.
I think the law give it solicitous.
Telling a woman she was
fuckable a long time ago.
Who the hell thinks that worse?
Why is she suing, Roger?
Gretchen is a very competitive woman,
facing a severe likability issue,
one, that I shielded her from for years.
Her career is over, I'm afraid.
And she can't take a joke.
Roger is very salty.
I find him amusing.
It's my fault, I encourage it.
James Murdoch could be behind this,
his wife openly supports Hillary.
And it could go deeper.
I have good reason to believe that
inside the Obama White House
there've been discussions,
on what level I do not know,
of having me killed.
Oh Jesus.
Hi there.
Hey.
Roger needs you.
Your silence is being noticed.
The whole point of an investigation
is to find the truth, Jeanine.
Until that happens
I don't have a lot to say.
If this charge sticks,
the working assumption would be
every woman at Fox bent down
on her knees, even you.
If we sweep this thing under the rug,
Jeanine, and it happen again.
Under title seven Fox would be liable
for compensatory and punitive damages,
that could be hundreds of millions.
Let's worry about the law
before we do the PR, okay?
Does Roger want us? Yes.
He's a man.
He also gave us time,
he gave us opportunity.
We benefit from that kind of attention.
I mean, Jeanine Pirro?
She's like the founding member
of 'Team Roger'.
- You're not answering your phone.
- I know. I'm holding it.
Everybody is still looking for you.
Where were any of these people
to defend me from Trump?
Bill Shine told them not to.
What the fuck?!
Our boss.
Why are you guys in the hall?
I got a call from Roger's lawyers,
saying, to quote: "relax."
They're convincing Rupert to limit
the investigation to Gretchen and her team.
That's only five or six women.
Are you gonna let that happen?
I like Roger, I do.
I know.
Even if he can be
controlling and vindictive.
Those sins aren't
really the problem, Meg.
There are hundreds of stories
of Roger paying an employee's rehab,
or keeping somebody
terminally ill on payroll.
You remember when Chuck came out?
All Roger said was:
"I don't care where you put your paper,
as long as you don't tell me
where to put mine."
Again, not the most redeeming--
He promoted me.
He's looked past the rejection.
He looked past the risk
of this exact conversation.
He handed me the power to hurt him.
Morning.
Hi, Megyn.
We need to get Gerson Zweifach
on the phone.
Gerson, I'm calling from Roger.
He wants me to be a part
of your investigation.
We've decided on an outside firm.
But why?
Gerson, we can handle this ourselves.
I'm asking Paul Weiss.
Paul Weiss?
You tell him that I can
actively participate.
Mr. Giuliani, you're an old friend
of Roger, you've married them.
Sharing information with you will remove
the cloak of attorney-client privilege
making a testimony of any woman
who comes forward subject to discovery.
I understand, you give me a waver.
I will not structure this investigation
so Roger isn't perceived of as its target.
You wanna glue a guilty?
That depends on what we find.
Do you know a reporter Gabe Sherman?
No.
You're about to.
He's found six women who claim
Roger Ailes harassed them.
All from before
Roger founded Fox News.
This was years ago, he said
he would put me on the show,
but I had to go to bed
with him, and I just said:
"Yeah, right, you and who else?"
And he said: "Just me and a few
of my preferred friends."
I came in and he closed the door,
turned and kissed me
like I was his girlfriend,
like he knew it was coming.
He grabbed my tits, and he said:
"Look, no girl gets a job here
unless they're cooperative."
If you wanna make it in New York City
in a TV business,
you'll gonna have to fuck me,
and you'll gonna have to do that
with anyone I tell you to.
He finishes the test,
which is me pretending to cook,
then he pulls out a garter belt
and stockings, and says: "put these on."
So, yeah, I put them on.
And he said: "You know,
I can really help you,
but if you wanna play with the big boys
you'll have to lay with the big boys."
It was very transactional.
It was quiet. He stared at me.
He undid his pants
and took out his penis, very gingerly.
I had never seen one, I was scared.
And he said: "kiss it." I was 16.
Former anchor Gretchen Carlson filing
a sexual harassment lawsuit
against Fox News chief Roger Ailes.
More women are coming forward.
Ailes is denying the allegations...
The accusations against Roger Ailes--
I have never run
a goddamn Dairy Queen.
You don't get to go
and get whatever you want.
Everybody on my shows knows the meaning
of decency, and I do mean everybody.
A TV outfit needs tough,
confident women.
Do I push them? You bet your ass I do!
But have I ever demanded sex
during a casting session?
Have I offered extra pay for blowjobs?
Give me a goddamn break!
Why the hell would I do that?!
You know the look in a woman's eye
when she's interested?
Walk into casting, back then,
as the decider, there was a look they gave.
I did not always looked like this.
I never had to harass anybody,
and it's fucking offensive to say that I did!
They're trying to change history,
for their families.
Some of them probably
don't even remember what happened.
That's gracious of you, Beth.
But this is political, I defy you
defying any evidence
that a single part of what
these women are saying is true.
Get ready. More will come.
We need to let Rupert know
what it means if I lose.
Gretchen Carlson could kill Fox News!
This is a fight for your jobs!
If I go you go!
If you'd ask me what type
of sexual fetish Roger Ailes had,
I never would've come up
with garter belts, but it's fucking perfect.
Their stories are so similar.
That doesn't prove much. Sherman met
them all through Gretchen's lawyer.
They could've been coached.
Blowjob thing feels real to me.
Does Roger seem like a guy
who would get off
in that particular power dynamic - yes.
The guy who maybe thinks
world doesn't really count - maybe.
The guy who has reasons
to prefer a sex act
that lets him keep
his clothes on - sure.
But it still doesn't make it true.
If true, these incidents
all happen before Fox started.
- Should that matter?
- No.
Yes.
I talked to Gerson Zweifach.
And?
He asked me to encourage women
who have claims to come forward.
You remember what happened last time
you got between Rupert and Roger?
Before I speak out,
I need to know if this happened
to other women in Fox.
You understand that?
Is this the one where
you really wanna know?
Or you wanna look like
you really wanna know, but don't?
I really wanna know.
I'm not always like that.
No one around here believes
Roger would wanna harass Gretchen.
I will send you some
of her soapy notes to Roger.
"Last night Sandra filled in for Megyn,
why not me [smiley face]?"
Who sends a harasser a smiley face?
- Martin.
- Hey, Nancy.
- Thanks for coming.
- Of course.
Hi, Nancy, coffee?
Thank you.
So, what do you got?
No one from Fox has come forward.
No one?
Rudi Bakhtiar.
But no one who's still there?
It's been nothing but praise for Roger.
Except for Megyn Kelly.
She's been unusually silent.
Something must've happened
to Megyn in the past with Roger.
She's way too ambitious
not to support him.
Possibly.
Should you call?
Tell her this is a spotlight
you'd be happy to share?
Megyn? Share?
No, she wouldn't do it.
- What makes you say that?
- Because I wouldn't.
I mean Roger plays his women off against
each other, he's always done it, he'll say:
"Megyn thinks that Lisa
should get your spot", or:
"Megyn suspects
that you're screwing Kal."
And then a lawful advice
on how to get back at her,
as if you brought it up.
She's renegotiating her deal.
I could still of roughly
15 million reasons to stay quiet.
We do need some collaboration.
That would certainly help
with the other networks.
Oh God. What?
What Marty?
We've not had a lot of incoming
job interests from them.
What's not a lot?
None.
They're afraid of Roger.
No.
No woman gets to sue her boss.
Rule #1, corporate America -
you don't sue your boss.
I jumped off a cliff.
I thought one of them
would stand with me.
- Hey, mom.
- Hey, we're home.
Hey, honey.
There's a snack in the kitchen.
- Okay.
- Thanks.
We gonna get him.
Megyn doesn't wanna
release a statement.
It could be seen as
influencing the investigation.
Have her say that
to Roger's face.
Let us know who else
hasn't spoken up for him,
maybe she can
encourage them, privately.
No, Jesus! We need our
anchors. We need her!
Let me talk to her.
Yes please.
Look, sweetheart, this is
an island of safety and truth.
I wear pants.
No one has ever told me
not to wear pants!
I wear pants.
I'd love to know
where that came from.
We need everyone
on 'Team Roger', everyone.
- Hi.
- Good morning.
Come on.
No one makes me wear shirt skirts.
He was the first to put a female on
as a host of a prime-time show.
Roger Ailes champions women.
No. There is no leg cam.
Could you just hold on for one sec?
I have to wear pants on.
Not without authorization
from the second floor you don't.
We never fitted her for pants.
You can print whatever story
you like, but there is no leg cam.
Lily, Beth needs me
to talk to Megyn.
I'm gonna do an on-air statement
where all the Fox women come out
one by one behind me for Roger.
That will never happen.
Ains.
You know why Roger's got
that door block in his office.
'Cause of Bangladeshi from Accounting
wandered in one day by mistake.
Please.
It's so girls can come in from
the back elevator and no one sees them.
Really?
We get talent come in here all the time,
looking to get their faces done.
"I'm going to see Roger,
I gotta look my best."
One came back up
with her robe off and nose in chin.
Who was that?
My memory is horrible.
You should go see Jenis in Weather.
Nobody wants to talk.
Can you blame them?
No.
Where'd you disappear to?
I've got names.
Women rumored to have
stories about Roger.
- From who?
- Jenis.
Weather Jenis?
Everybody confides at her.
"Nobody from weather
wants your job."
What are gonna do with them?
Tell them this time's different.
Wait--
No. Don't wait.
Don't listen to him.
It's not only your job here.
I got kids, okay?
Lily has a baby now.
Julia'll lose her visa
and will have to go back to Canada.
We know that you've been talking
to broadcast networks.
You can get a job anywhere,
but we can't.
And no offense,
but who the hell will you be?
Nobody leaves Fox,
Megyn. Not really.
It's in your DNA now.
Think about what you're
blowing up here.
I say find the truth.
That face tells me nothing.
If they come after you,
it won't be you they come after.
Gretchen Carlson, your colleague
at Fox News, has issued some allegations,
some sexual harassment allegations,
over your boss Roger Ailes.
What is your position on this?
What did you think when you heard this?
In this country every famous,
powerful and wealthy person is a target.
You're a target. I'm a target.
Anytime somebody could come out
and sue us, attack us,
go to the press or anything like that.
And that's a deplorable situation.
I've worked for Roger Ailes for 20 years.
Best boss I've ever had.
I've never been told
what I can't wear.
I know you didn't ask,
but I think it needs to be said.
It's a very confusing time right now.
Tonight is Manhattanhenge.
Sunset will align perfectly
with the city's grid.
The best viewing streets
are 14th, 34th and 57th.
Good day New York.
A babe with no kiser?
This can't be a Fox affiliate.
Oh my God. How are you?
Good. How about you?
Good.
How's your mom?
She's good. She's training
to be a security guard.
Is that because of the Trump stuff?
No, she just wants a job
where she gets to carry a gun.
Did you come up here
to talk about Roger?
What would make you say that?
I've been in local for two years,
nobody's ever come to see me.
You miss us?
The network I worked at for 14 years,
that my dad helped built,
where my brother's a reporter?
Julia, did Roger ever..?
No.
I heard things, but nothing firsthand.
Good.
- I miss you.
- I miss you more.
We should go have a drink.
Yes.
Roger...
He has...
detectives on staff, about 14.
They look into enemies, follow them.
Post negative stories online.
It's called the 'Black Room'.
I don't want you in danger--
No. No. I'm not talking about me.
I'm talking about you.
Be careful who you ask questions
about Roger Ailes.
My lawyers are negotiating with Fox.
Not that Bill will pay any of it.
Bill?
O'Reilly.
And Jack.
Jesus.
Sorry.
Fish rots from the head.
I'm gonna talk to the outside firm
investigating this.
Paul Weiss.
I heard you had some issues over here.
I did.
If you have a name to give.
Roger.
I wouldn't ask
if I didn't think it was safe.
Roger.
Jack.
Roger.
Doug.
Jack.
Francisco.
Bill.
Roger.
It's Kayla, right?
Yeah.
Hi.
Hi. Megyn.
I know.
You used to work
with Gretchen, right?
Did you learn a lot from her?
I did. Yes.
I have nothing but good things
to say about her.
That's great.
I always find it so interesting who
history chooses to do something important.
I guess.
I wanted to ask you...
I wanted to ask you
if Roger is harassing you.
How did you know?
We find each other.
You too?
Long time ago.
Wow.
Are you okay?
You should report Roger.
You'll be protected.
Did you?
I took it to his superior.
Nothing happened.
I had to drop it.
Why?
I wanted to be on television.
Did you think what
your silence would mean
for us, the rest of us?
Roger is not my fault.
It would've been nice...
if somebody told us
that he's after more than legs.
That's nobody's job
to protect you, Kayla.
That's all of our job.
I don't get you, you're...
you have power.
Why are you still playing
by old rules?
You're Megyn Kelly.
Look around, snowflake.
How do think I succeeded?
How do you think a woman gets
a prime time Fox show?
So, you had sex with him?
Jesus fucking Christ.
Hello.
Hey. It's me.
Oh my God! What the fuck, Kayla?
It said Bill in my phone.
Sorry, I saved my number
under his name in your phone,
as a joke. I forgot.
Oh my God. Jesus Christ.
I had a heart attack.
Where are you?
I'm on a date.
Okay.
Did you...
Did you give my name
to Megyn by any chance?
I may have...
worried about you
out loud, once or twice.
Why didn't you just...
support me?
I don't even know.
I couldn't do anything and I...
I can't fuck up.
'Cause I'm a lesbian at Fox News.
So?
Who's your date with, Kayla?
I can't just go on a date
with a dude and make it go away.
I think I'm...
I think I'm gonna call Paul Weiss.
Okay. That's good.
That's really good.
I'm really glad you're doing that.
I think that's absolutely
what you should do.
Okay. Great.
I can't call anyone else and I just...
I need someone right now to...
tell me that that's what I should do.
Oh my God. Yes.
I heard it was like an outside firm,
and they're taking it really seriously.
Okay. Great. Thanks.
Kayla.
What happened?
I did it.
I did it. I gave it to him.
Kayla, I...
I'm so sorry.
He kept talking, he just
kept talking, kept saying...
"Good girl. That's a good girl.
You're a good soldier.
Earn your place."
Fuck.
He didn't even unbuckle.
I feel so filthy.
No. Kayla. You didn't do
anything wrong.
I'm sorry.
I better go.
Roger can sense vulnerabilities.
In those days our meetings
were career strategy sessions,
mixed with good advice,
and comments like.
The most basic thing is confidence.
Feel at home in your own skin.
If you're confident, you're sexy.
I'm sure you have some sexy bras.
I'd love to see you in those.
It was a cat-and-mouse game.
But he always gave me
good advice and let me deflect.
Tell him to dream on.
The more I let him get away with
the more he pushed my buttons.
I don't know if women
can be good interviewers.
Men have that killer instinct,
and we do bad things,
and we do not feel guilty about it.
How can I be sure you have that...
that kind of drive?
Finally, in January.
This is '06?
Yes.
He grabbed me.
Tried to kiss me.
I pushed him away twice.
As I was leaving, he asked:
"when is your contract up?"
After the third time I left.
And he never tried anything again?
No.
I ignored his calls. Stayed in D. C.
Two years later I had a show.
Any long-term consequences?
Yeah...
Am I witness "W"?
Yes. Why?
It's a 23rd letter in the alphabet.
Have 22 other women come forward
since I first spoke to you?
Have they?
Will there be more?
A major bombshell this morning.
Star anchor Megyn Kelly
has informed lawyers that Fox News CEO
Roger Ailes sexually harassed her--
For her to level these allegations
is devastating against Ailes...
We are seeing the end
of an era at Fox News--
It was a dagger in his heart,
in some way.
The notion that Megyn Kelly
was among his accusers.
What?
What?!
Yes! Yes!
Roger. What's the matter?
Megyn's claiming I harassed her.
You saw a Gabe's Sherman post?
James has been feeding him bullshit!
Come through Megyn's press.
Find every single positive thing
she said about me, and get it out, now!
Roger, I can't discredit
an anchor on pay to promote.
Then I'll hurl her
in the Fox hole with you.
Leak something to Breitbart
or to Drudge. I'll talk to Susan--
- I'm sorry, Roger.
- Do something!
At least get some shit
about Gretchen out there!
These women are trying to fuck me!
I have no answers for you.
I don't really know.
Thanks.
Hey, Gil.
Hey, Greta.
What's Megyn singing?
It's part of a contract negotiation?
It's not economic, or political.
Okay, Gil.
This is scary, It's like the whole world's
on fire and no one can be trusted.
Hey, Geraldo, CNN, line six.
Can't talk.
He is certainly in 'Times'.
Why aren't you on the phone?
To comment on sexual harassment.
We work for Bill.
'Team Roger'.
Hey, we need you to wear it.
- No.
- Are you kidding?
No!
Get it on.
Megyn Kelly has no comment.
She's traveling...
To Cleveland.
For the Republican Convention, remember?
I've known him for 40 years.
And he's about as flirty as
the grizzly, when you rub on it.
Let me tell you something.
I called these allegations sick,
'cause they are sick.
Why wasn't I let in on a pact?
What pact?
Breitbart is saying there is a pact
among our top 50 on-air talents.
If Roger gets fired, we all walk.
- Great, where do I sign?
- I've never heard of a pact.
Me neither.
Roger placed it.
Fake news. Come on.
How bad does it look for Roger?
Bad.
Doesn't feel like I imagined it would.
Gretchen, you achieved
something remarkable.
Yes. I did.
Mom.
I think it's time we finish this.
Okay. I'll let you know.
Mom, are you done with that?
I'm done.
I made the Murdochs 1.5 billion
in profit last year. Pure profit.
Fox News is the most successful
cable franchise in history.
Gretchen Carlson's lawyers.
She wants to settle.
It's a lot less appealing
to sue you personally
without Rupert's money behind you.
Hey, Ken.
Ken?
- Hey. Who's here?
- Oh my Gosh.
I brought you some small people.
We practiced that scare for two weeks.
Look at you.
Hi.
Look who's here?
It was so scary.
Thank you.
How are you, sweetheart?
I'm either damned for doing it,
or damned for not doing it sooner.
Tell me my big mouth
didn't ruin our life.
Not yet.
Can I speak to Roger alone, please?
Are you sure you want Beth here?
Of course.
Gretchen taped your conversations.
That's a goddamn lie!
For over a year.
But, you don't believe her.
Your quotes in her lawsuit,
they're from tapes.
What?
Why didn't they tell us before?
So you'd issue complete denials.
So you'd have no credibility.
Apparently, she did her homework.
God Bless our next
President Donald Trump.
And God Bless the
United States of America!
Mr. Giuliani is fired up.
When we come back we'll discuss the speech
with the man who helped drive it.
Don't react, okay?
Roger's out.
Is that sourced, Gil?
Yeah. The 'New York Post'.
They put him on the cover.
Rupert's telling him to let go.
And that's a scoop.
We gonna win so big.
Thank you very much.
There is some breaking news tonight
in the world of media and politics--
A blockbuster shake-up at Fox News--
A dramatic fall from grace--
Roger Ailes is out as top boss.
They want us to circle the block.
Hold on.
What's going on?
I've been shut down.
It's true.
Everything Richard said.
It's all true.
Roger lied to me.
Why? Because I'm a mandra here.
So, I have concerns my public defense
in Roger can be construit as coercive.
Hey. Pants.
Fuck off, Neil.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
No. No. Sit down.
I appreciate you driving up here, Roger.
Susan Estrich.
I hate that it's come to this.
Me too.
We gave these women jobs.
Put them on the air.
Made them famous.
You think for a goddamn second
I did any damage to any of them?
No, you don't.
You don't, Rupert.
There's now audience
for that side of the story.
To begin with, half of this you already
owe him from last year's bonus.
And we're paying it.
And paying off your contract.
Consider yourself lucky.
It's a contractual obligation.
I created the Murdoch family's
most profitable asset.
A third of your margin.
There are three of you.
I guess that means I pay for the food
that one of you puts in your mouth.
What if it's you.
I'd have fired you for cause--
Roger, you've built an amazing business.
No one can take that away from you.
But, under the circumstances...
This is a lot of money.
It won't look good to the people
that don't know your worth.
Take it. Honor your non-compete.
I never cared about the money.
We know, Roger.
Okay.
Okay.
I'd like to go to the newsroom with you.
I'd like us to announce
my leaving together.
No.
The end of the legman.
I won't miss him.
Boys.
Hope you two know
what you're doing.
Once Roger's office is cleared off
handguns, I'll move in.
I'll run the network
till the ship's aride.
Donald.
How's that speech coming?
Megyn's gotta go! Ho ho ho!
Convention's downstairs, folks.
Would you say people are shocked?
Come on. What'd he do to you? Megyn?
Of all the ways this could end.
I didn't see this one coming.
Gretchen Carlson got the Murdochs
to put the right of women above profit,
if only temporarily.
And I found myself
with the job I didn't want.
I couldn't really leave.
Even when I did.
You should keep that out.
People, can I get your attention please?
Mr. Murdoch is joining us today,
he has a very important
statement he'd like to say.
Excuse me, everyone.
I won't take long.
Roger Ailes is leaving Fox.
I want to start by thanking Roger
for his remarkable contribution
to our company, and to our country.
Twenty years ago Roger shared...
Here's the thing about
being sexually harassed at work.
It condemns you to questions.
You keep asking yourself:
what did I do? What did I say?
What did I wear? What did I miss?
Am I seen as weak?
Will they say I'm after money?
Will they say I'm after attention?
Will I be left out?
Will I be defined by this
for the rest of my life?
I will take over as chairman
and acting CEO
with the support of our existing
management team under Bill Shine.
If I stay do I just
have to put up with it?
Will the next place be different?
Or can I make it different?
Roger always said:
"Everyone on television
only has one real job -
to be likable."
Well, I don't care if you like me.
Only that you believe me.
A lot of people, even women,
are skeptical of harassment claims,
until they experience it themselves.
Or know someone who has.
I may be that person for you.
As you could see.
It's 20 million.
Plus the apology.
Correct.
I can't believe Fox agreed
to the apology.
I mean, it's unheard-of.
I mean, that never happens.
But you will have to sign that.
It's a strict confidentiality agreement.
Many will establish you told the truth,
but no one can ever hear it directly from you.
You will be muzzled, Gretchen.
Maybe.
I'm Megyn Kelly.
Breaking tonight, polls are moving,
the race is changing.
And more than a dozen Republican candidates
are trying to make themselves heard
with a little more than one week left
to the debate that could change everything.
And we are the gateway.
We the questioners are the gateways,
we at FOX and CNN and everybody else
who gets a chance
to actually moderate a Presidential Debate
with these guys.
I mean, these guys, they deserve
to face tough questioning.
As Chris says and I agree,
they want George Washington's job,
and they better earn it.
They better show the American people
they are worthy of it.
A lot of folks assume Donald Trump
would flame out by now.
They have been proven wrong.
Now, wait, here.
We've got to get to this.
Because this is just breaking
on "The Daily Beast."
The headline is ex-wife, Donald Trump
made me feel violated during sex.
Ivana Trump once accused
the real estate tycoon of, quote, "rape."
Somebody who speaks for Donald Trump
has come out and denied it as well.
And added that legally he says,
you cannot rape your spouse.
Here's the one thing you probably know
about me: I have a big mouth.
Roger, you have Megyn on line one.
- Megyn.
- Morning, Roger.
What'd you do to piss off Trump?
We did a segment on a recent coverage
of his ex-wife's rape claim.
You're giving that oxygen
before the first goddamn debate?
Roger, we had a full screen
of Ivana's recantation, which is soft.
She accused him during a divorce.
His lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims
you can't rape a spouse, pissed me off.
Great, the future of Fox News
is now a goddamn feminist.
No, I'm not a feminist, I'm a lawyer.
We need him. Clean this up. Now!
Unfortunately, when it comes to
politicians and the media,
Roger Ailes knows his shit.
Appointed head of the Fox News Channel
by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Roger transformed cable news,
barging Fox to the forefront.
Years before, to get Nixon elected,
he created the modern Town Home Debate.
To get Reagan elected, he made him
address the elephant in the room.
I will not make age
an issue of this campaign.
I am not going to exploit my opponent's
youth and inexperience.
To get George H. W. Bush elected,
somebody did a Willie Horton ads.
Roger denies it was him, a lot.
I have been astounded
at the number of Americans
who are fine with our country
moving in a socialist direction.
Here we go.
News is like a ship.
You take your hands off the wheel
and it pulls hard to the left.
Look at this.
James Murdoch, tell me
those lips haven't sucked cock.
This is what nepotism gets him.
Roger, rules Fox from behind
these doors on the second floor.
When employees say "the second floor",
they mean Roger,
or the many VPs pay to enact his will
without qualms or questions.
Now I know what some of you
are thinking, and no,
Roger does not tell us
what to say on air.
He doesn't have to.
- Love that dress, Megyn.
- Thank you.
No, really, I love it.
He is not horny.
He's just ambitious.
Roger is always watching.
The Eagles postpone their appearance
because co-founder Glenn Frey
is too ill to travel...
Morons.
The phone in his office connects
directly to the control room
which is down on the first floor.
Yes, sir?
You fucking idiots! That's not
Glenn Frey, that's Don Henley.
Dump the B-roll.
Back to anchor.
That's not Glenn Frey,
that's Don fucking Henley.
What the fuck Kayla?!
I'm sorry, I don't know secular music.
The Eagles?
Only the biggest band of the 70s.
When my Mom was a toddler.
They all look the same,
they're just old.
Down in the basement
is the Fox newsroom.
All our shows have crews
who work in these pods.
This is my staff.
Hey, guys.
From below the city,
so it smells like mold.
But there hasn't been
a rat citing in four months.
The anchors and their
key producers have base camps.
Here, on 17th and 18th.
Often decorated with viewer art.
And everyone in this building,
even Roger, answers to 8th.
The 8th floor is home to CEO
Rupert Murdoch and his sons.
This is the power behind the power.
The actual studios are scattered
around the building.
Most anchor and show offices are here,
above our Fox Business, Radio,
New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Most of the American conservative
establishment in one building.
The stage is finally set for tonight's
Republican debate in Cleveland.
All the candidates are looking
for a boost tonight,
but only 10 of them have a chance
to appeal to voters in the prime time.
Trump has a real problem with women.
I wanna ask about it.
Did you back that up?
Yes.
Good morning.
Morning, Chris.
Excuse me.
Do you think that's it?
Sorry.
It's probably nerves.
No. When it's nerves
I hear my heart.
I can't hear it.
That's your first question?
Is this some feminist thing?
She's not a feminist.
It goes to his electability.
Did you run it pass Tom Lowell?
He didn't go after Trump.
The second floor said that?
No.
The 8th. The Murdochs.
Rupert called Roger and said
about Trump: "Enough is enough."
Look, all Trump does is watch Fox.
Roger gave him air for his
crazy theories and idiot grievances.
Why?
'Cause Roger shares a lot of them.
Are you sure you wanna
take that on?
Yes.
I don't know if these are strong enough,
but they help with nausea.
You go live in five hours.
I'll be fine.
Okay.
If you can try to keep it down.
Fuck, stop making that face, Julia.
I'm not making a face.
Five hours?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Don't worry. We're behind you.
Way behind you.
There's a blanket on the chair,
and just in case, a trash can beside.
Mr. Trump, one of the things
people love about you
is you speak your mind
and you don't use a politician's filter.
However, that is not without its downsides,
in particular, when it comes to women.
You've called women you don't like:
"fat pigs, dogs, slobs,
and disgusting animals."
What is she doing?
Your Twitter account--
Only Rosie O'Donnell.
Great TV. Show
is what she's doing.
Your Twitter account...
For the record, it was
well beyond Rosie O'Donnell.
Yes, I'm sure it was.
Your Twitter account has several
disparaging comments about women's looks.
You once told a contestant
on Celebrity Apprentice
it would be a pretty picture
to see her on her knees.
Does that sound to you like the temperament
of a man we should elect as President...
She's calling him out.
...who was likely to be
the Democratic nominee,
that you are a part
of the war on women?
Call me stupid, but I thought
he'd respect the challenge.
Trump is pissed.
He was up all night tweeting.
Crap, really?
What was he tweeting?
"Fox viewers give low marks
to bimbo Megyn Kelly."
I hate that word.
It says you're too sexy to be smart,
but not smart enough to be sexy.
"Wow, Megan Kelly
really bombed tonight.
People going wild
on Twitter. Funny to watch."
Donald Trump. Donald Trump.
Okay.
How many times did he tweet?
Like 15.
- Fift...
- Yeah.
He's never gonna be President.
Wait.
Am I gonna be the story?
No.
I'm gonna be the story?
No.
Gretchen's giving this 2 blocks?
It's that far down the food chain?
We should get you a security team.
Think it over. A Trump called
me before the debate.
He said he knew that
your first question was harsh.
- How could he know that?
- No idea.
I sure didn't.
It was good TV. Unexpected.
Goddamn tough.
Proud of you Megyn.
Thanks, Roger.
Heard you were sick.
Yeah.
I think it was in my coffee.
- Where did you get it?
- My driver.
He insisted on some
fancy coffee joint.
You know this guy?
No, he's a driver, Roger.
- Did you know him?
- No.
You know better than that!
Okay, yes. Roger Ailes is paranoid.
But his parents were nuts.
As he drove off to college
they filed for divorce.
And didn't tell him.
At Christmas, he came home to find
strangers in his house, and all his things,
photos, and yearbooks,
and trophies thrown out.
Is it any wonder the man created
a nostalgia machine for lost America?
This is crazy.
We're sitting here wondering if a candidate
for President poisoned my coffee.
It's only crazy until it happens,
and it happens.
I hate being the story.
I'll call Trump, you go on vacation,
stay above it all.
He won't dent your ratings.
Nobody stops watching
because of the conflict.
They stop watching
when there isn't one.
Some viewers will listen to him.
Well, some, but as long as he keeps saying
Megyn Kelly is unwatchable,
that means he's watching it,
they know that.
And they'll watch what he watches.
You'll be okay.
See you in a week.
Drink up buddy boy.
Thank you.
Here's to a week of no kids
but my own.
Cheers.
Okay. Frank Bruni, The Times:
"The debate was riveting, it was admirable,
it compels me to write
a cluster of words
I never imagined writing,
hooray for Fox News."
That's gonna make you happy.
Appraisal, tangled up, and then insult.
It doesn't make me happy, Gil.
You could see that was blood
coming out of her eyes,
blood coming out of her... wherever...
Oh my God!
Did he just accused me
of anger menstruating?
Yes.
I'm calling Roger.
No, I'll talk to him.
Take a vacation, I'll handle this.
Doug.
Would you like to correct yourself
on that other talking point,
about men being dominant?
We don't have any time.
We're running over.
HR's on the phone
'cause you called me a skirt.
I gotta read that manual again.
I'll bring it to your office
right after the show.
Some guy came up to me and said:
"I saw you on 'Fox & Friends' this morning.
Is Gretchen as cute in person
as she is on TV?"
And what did you answer him, Eric?
Beautiful dress. You look wonderful.
Great color.
In summary, Gretchen's beautiful.
Beautiful. You look beautiful.
Thank you.
Well, you look fabulous too!
She got a wax?
Doesn't waxing hurt?
He looks at me for that.
Women are everywhere, we're letting
them play golf and tennis now.
It's out of control.
You read the headlines,
since men are so great.
She needed a shower.
We had to turn off camera,
it was even worse.
Steve simply started ignoring me.
What did Mr. Ailes say
when you complained?
He said:
"You act like it only rains on women."
"Stop getting goddamn offended
by everything."
"You're a men hater."
And...
"Learn to get along with the boys."
And he took me off the show.
But gave you your own.
Afternoon dead zone.
It was a demotion,
and we both knew it.
even though I did increase
the ratings by 15%.
He moved me to second base.
Back in Minnesota, before I graduated
summa cum laude from Stanford,
Before, I was crowned Miss America.
I played second base
in the 6th grade softball league.
I hate second base.
Did he ever offer to reverse
that decision if you made yourself
sexually available?
Not directly.
With Roger, it's always about loyalty.
He says he can fix things
if you're loyal,
and you can guess the ultimate
expression of loyalty.
We don't guess.
Oral sex.
Roger likes to joke:
"to get ahead you gotta
give a little head."
Really.
But Mr. Ailes never unambiguously
asks for oral sex?
It was always just a joke,
a put down, like:
"you're sexy,
but you're too much work."
I have a whole list in here.
Because that's just how Roger is.
What do you want out of a lawsuit?
What do I want?
I want this behavior to stop.
Someone has to speak up.
Someone has to get mad.
That may not be you.
Your contract will have a clause
requiring secret mandatory arbitration.
You familiar with
Rudi Bakhtiar's case?
Yes.
You're supposed to be.
My first act as D.C. Bureau Chief.
I want you down here full time.
Oh my God! That's amazing. Yes!
You do know what this means for you?
Shit, he doesn't think I'm ready.
Brian, I will not let you down.
I'm gonna bust my ass for you.
Rudi, come one, that's a given.
So what's the problem?
But... Look...
You do get how I feel
about you, right?
Oh fuck! Fuck!
I'm glad you said that, Brian.
Because I really respect you too.
No. No. I mean...
How I really feel.
Just look confused.
All I want from you, Rudi, is to see
the inside of your hotel room.
Goddammit!
That's all it's gonna take.
Don't react. Make it your fault.
Brian, if I've done anything
to make you think
I feel that way
about you, I apologize.
Friends.
We're friends.
Professionals.
We have a great professional vibe.
Now sell it.
I just don't do that,
I've never had to do that for a job.
I know. I know...
You know I'd kill for D.C.
But there is no way
I'm showing you my hotel room.
This is gonna ruin my career.
Now I feel like a creep.
No. You're so not.
Fucking creep.
They fired me.
I'm a lousy reporter, apparently.
Assholes.
She proved what they
wanted her to prove.
No one really wins
by suing Fox News.
It's been our experience that
once you go public in your job.
No one will hire you.
If you're able to stick it out at Fox,
gather more evidence,
you might be able to sue
Ailes himself, instead of Fox.
And that is why I'm here,
because Martin Hayman told me
that over here, in New Jersey, I can avoid
arbitration by suing Roger, personally.
He says that you've managed
to change the law,
and that we could call
other women and show a pattern.
Will other women come forward?
Yes. They will.
You live and work in New York.
Roger has a house
in Bergen County,
where he stays when he can't
make it upstate.
You did your homework, Ms. Carlson.
No fingerprints.
That's how much I practiced
the violin as a child.
If Roger finds out you came to us,
he won't just fire you.
He will bang us with
a million dollar lawsuit,
he will attack you personally.
These men care more about
their reputations than they do money.
Roger won't stop.
- Oh, I know.
- You know that?
Colleagues you admire will say publicly
you're superior ambitious woman
who's suing because
her career staled.
Let them.
Okay. If we work hard,
you might be lucky enough
to watch the most powerful man in TV
go after you with everything he's got.
Thank you.
I'm telling you, other women
will come forward.
Let's hope.
Frankly, I think you have a gap
in the network, Mr. Shine.
There are millions of young
conservatives in this country.
You can look at my
Instagram account, there are.
They don't have a voice
on your network.
I see myself as an influencer
in the Jesus space.
Don't get me wrong, I've learned
a ton from Gretchen,
I truly have, of course, but...
No judgment here, my perspective
as an evangelical millennial,
it's just not that helpful to her.
To be honest, Mr. Shine.
She's sort of establishment
with a capital "e".
That's why I wanted
to talk to you in private.
Kayla, before we move you up.
I wanna ask you something personal.
What do you think of our slogan?
Fair and balanced.
I'm glad you asked.
Our new shows and our
opinion shows are very different.
Our news is impartial.
It's top of the line.
Our opinion shows...
Roger gave a voice to people
who didn't have one,
and he balanced
the American conversation.
So, our news people are fair.
Our entertainers are very
necessary form of balance.
Attagirl. Perfect.
But today, we're sticking up for girls
on International Day of the Girl.
And for the first time
on cable news, here I am
makeup free - for a reason.
Tomorrow I'll be back
in my regular makeup.
And I thank the other brave women
who came on today, show, sounds makeup.
Let's continue to tell our girls -
just be yourself.
Check.
Great show.
Get me some makeup.
I have some bad news,
Kayla is leaving us for the asshole.
O'Reilly?
It is our highest rated program.
And we can't be?
No. I believe in real story.
Did you just see that segment?
Did you see it? Did you see--
We're doing something unique here.
Together. All of us.
- Can you just--
- Sure.
Listen to me.
I can get you where you wanna be.
I can protect you,
just don't get ahead of yourself.
You have a lot to learn,
I can teach you.
I'm not getting ahead of myself, Gretchen.
I'm taking the next step.
I learn by doing.
Come on. Come on. Please.
I'm confused. You want me
to pass on a promotion so
you can help me get the same promotion
on a show with worse ratings.
I want a little loyalty. I need loyalty.
Women together.
I'm loyal to the network.
It's not us versus them, Gretchen.
Miss America!
Roger. Hi there.
This is the treat.
What the fuck are you doing?
A segment on how
we oversexualize women.
You said be more of myself.
You know what makeup does?
Keeps everybody from seeing you sweat.
Most of the mean tweets that I received
are about my appearance.
So, it is important that we fight back
against this kind of bullying.
Bullying isn't meanness.
Bullying is people with more power
hitting people with less.
These jack-asses have cell phones.
You have fucking TV-show!
We have to fight the objectification.
Bullshit!
Mouth shot. Ears open.
Nobody wants to watch a middle-aged woman
sweat away through menopause.
Not on a National fucking Television!
Thank you for the advice.
Objectification...
All right.
Gretchen, I really appreciate--
Shut up!
Good luck.
Good one, honey.
Hey.
It's a zoo here.
Phones ringing off the hook.
Anyone care he called me bimbo?
Not really.
He tweeted the GQ photo.
- And?
- Torn.
God, I'd love to be slut-shamed.
Gil wants to ask again
if we should make a statement.
No. No response. Zero.
Doug just lost. I gotta go.
Next time, honey.
Good game.
Trump. Sixteen.
Excuse me.
If you talk to my wife again,
I'll beat you to a fucking pulp.
That was weird.
You're getting some action.
Oh really?
Oh, man!
Asshole.
You don't have to worry about Trump.
You're tougher than all of those guys.
You just gotta worry
about the crazies.
I can handle a few crazies.
Trump will stop once he feels
he's won the argument.
I feel like he's less interested
in winning the argument than just
having the argument with you in public
to prove he can take on the establishment.
I'm not the establishment.
Honey, get real. You are
the establishment now.
- Mommy!
- Not yet.
You do understand I have
to be above this, right?
I have to be an anchor first,
then a woman.
The entire country is talking
about your period right now.
- Mommy!
- What?
There's a man.
What?
- Yardley!
- Look, he's right there!
Yardley, where is he?
Jesus, he's got a fucking camera!
Come here, honey.
No. No. Don't open the door.
They can't sell 'em if we're inside.
Get out! Get outta here! Go!
What were you guys doing?
Mommy and Daddy?
It was a crossword...
Mommy was just taking
a quick little nap.
- Quick one.
- It wasn't that quick.
I'm gonna have
to call Roger about security.
As clear as a bell that Megyn Kelly
has gone over to the dark side.
The more she sells out
the wider her nostrils have become.
Listen to what I just said,
have you seen them flair?
This woman was once pretty.
And the more she has sold out
the wider her nostrils have become.
They're almost porcine.
She snorts her insults at America...
Roger.
Give me a day to figure out
how we hit Trump back.
Stop by later.
I don't want my kids
hearing this crap.
Ignore the damn morons.
I'm old, fat, and ugly.
Christ, the call me Jabba the Hutt.
Hemophilia swells
my joints, can't exercise.
I feel fine but I look like shit.
And look the opposite of how I feel.
Do I let it affect me?
No. I do not.
This isn't entirely true.
Roger's also fat because he only get
a room service menu on order page two.
No goddamn orange on Fox!
But he cares a lot about looks.
Let's turn our attention to South Korea.
South Korean official say
talks with the North have...
Early on he realized for a network
to stay on 24 hours a day
you need something
to hold an audience.
That something is legs.
There's a reason for clear desks.
We need you in a shorter dress.
Wide shot! Wider!
Go to the wide shot!
I want to see her goddamn legs!
Why the fuck do you think I hired her?
Stand up and give me a spin.
Really?
Yeah. It's a visual medium.
Yeah. That's good. Sit down.
I support the law, I do,
but mass deportations, come on.
That will never work, because of the
14th Amendment, you want me to quote it?
If you are born in America -
you're an American.
Period.
Get me a demographically-friendly
Hispanic woman on immigration.
She needs to be very
demographically-friendly.
Okay. New girls up.
Kayla?
Hi, sir.
I was listening to
Rush Limbaugh this morning,
he said something kinda cool
about Anthony Weiner,
how he's an exhibitionist in every aspect
of how he presents himself politically.
Is she the best you can do?
Bill Shine asked us to give her a try.
Okay, let's not lose focus,
back to immigration.
Oh my God!
I can't get fired.
This is the only job
I have ever wanted.
I don't wanna be on TV,
I wanna be on Fox.
My family... Every day...
Every holiday...
Especially holidays,
they watch Fox News.
We're like addicts.
Fox is how we do church.
You know when they make
the corner logo turn?
'Cause folks have box burned
into their TV screens. That's us.
Kayla, you're not getting fired.
He cannot scale his anger,
he's a perpetual outrage machine.
That's why crazies love him.
No offense to your family.
You wanna do the folders?
No crying at Fox.
No crying.
Let me explain your mistake here.
Rush is on Hannity's team.
They are the competition,
their GOP party hacks.
He thinks he's way ahead of him.
Ceil full of drudge and break bar.
Do not talk radio.
Okay.
Also stop worrying
if the story's legit.
And if you can't source it,
just go at "some are saying."
Seriously?
You have to adopt the mentality
of an Irish street cop.
The world is a bad place.
People are lazy morons.
Minorities are criminals.
Sex is sick but interesting.
Ask yourself what would scare
my grandmother,
or piss off my grandfather -
and that's a Fox story.
Are you writing this down?
Makes so much sense.
Frighten to the lay.
When you're starting a story
you need to start with a clear villain.
Liberal judge, pinhead mayor,
Vermont, Hollywood.
Conservatives wanna conserve.
You're the last defense against
Jesus-hating, trans-loving,
Clinton-controlled Armageddon, baby.
Come on.
You do believe some of that, right?
Yeah.
It's quite a face you have.
Really? Thank you.
- I'm drunk.
- I'm drunk as well.
You have a Hillary poster
in your house?
I guess I do.
Okay. My parents would be horrified
if I went home with a Democrat.
The lesbianism, however?
I'm not a lesbian.
I'm not a Democrat.
I just have two giant
Hillary posters in my kitchen.
As a joke though, right?
No, that's who I'd like
to be the President.
Are you serious?
I'm a closeted Democrat.
At Fox News?
I thought that you knew that.
No. I didn't know that.
Does anyone know that?
Can you not tell?
You can't tell anyone.
- Of course, I won't tell.
- I'm so serious.
Can I ask something?
Why do you work at Fox?
When you can work at
MSNBC or something.
I think, I like, thrive
in toxic environments.
I never know
if you're kidding or not.
I am kidding. I applied
everywhere and...
I got a job at Fox.
And I keep applying the other places,
and they keep not taking me
because I work at Fox.
Oh my Gosh.
It's okay. One day
I'm gonna be free.
What? It's not that bad.
If you're gay, it's pretty bad.
Yeah, you don't be gay at Fox.
You work for Bill O'Reilly,
you have a Hillary poster?
You do know he likes to call up
female producers and wack off, right?
Bill?
Yes, Bill.
No.
You haven't heard about
Andrea Mackris lawsuit?
- No.
- Oh my God.
This should be in a welcome packing.
She was one of the
Associate Producers.
He took her, and only her, to the
Republican National Convention.
Called her up at 11 p.m.
Touching himself, and telling her
what he wanted to do to her
with the old falafel.
Are you kidding?
It's on the internet,
and then--
quote, "using a vibrator upon himself."
Like he brought a vibrator
from home to the convention?
Yes, well, you have to bring a vibrator
from home to the convention.
The question is, what does a man
do with a vibrator?
Do you place it alongside the shaft?
I don't wanna hear that.
"Fucking die, bitch."
"If I see you, you better run."
"I wouldn't be sleeping
too soundly if I were you."
Trump's lit the torches.
You're getting security tonight.
All I want is for this
to go away, Roger.
Look, every general in history
has gone into battle feeling the same.
Fine.
I'll read a statement, at the top
saying: "Yes, Trump is attacking me."
But I'm not going to respond,
any defense will come from you.
Not right now.
You set a record on viewer email.
Let me guess. None of it on my side.
No.
Our audience loves Trump.
And the hell of a lot more
than the Murdochs realize.
More than Trump knows.
He's tweeting "we made peace."
He'll come on 'Fox & Friends' tomorrow.
He needs us. We need him.
It's got nothing to do with you.
All right. It's late.
I have dogs to feed.
Just to be clear.
I will not be kissing
Trump's ass at nine o'clock.
We fight tomorrow's fights tomorrow.
Let me see that
statement again, Bill.
You may have heard
there was a dust up involving
yours truly and presidential
contender Donald...
How are you doing, Megyn?
Hanging in there.
Give him hell, Megyn.
We go live in
five... four... three... two...
I just got back from a weekend at the beach
with my husband and my three kids.
Did anything happen
in the news while I was gone?
You may have heard there was
a dust up involving yours truly
and presidential contender
Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump was upset
with a question I asked...
Cute baby.
I gotta say I can't stand your show.
You guys at Fox, you're doing
terrible things to our country.
I hope that makes you feel better.
How you treat people you disagree with
says everything about you.
Jesus was a white man, too.
He was a historical figure,
that's a verifiable fact,
as is Santa, I just want the kids
watching to know that.
But my point is, how do you just revise it,
and change Santa from white to black?
Oh, hi.
Wow, nice dress.
I hope you don't wear that
to Sunday service.
Please, I have church jeans,
so I can hood a latte on my knee.
Oh my God, Kayla.
Did you see this?
What?
I'm a creep.
That is gross.
Are you crazy?
That's my friend from college.
I'm just looking out for you.
Who are you stalking?
No one.
I feel for you.
That show.
His bark is worse than his bite.
I work for Roger, we have
two, three and four donut days.
Sugar does make everybody crazy.
No, these aren't donuts he eats,
they're donuts he throws at somebody.
No, he's a pussycat.
Come say hi, we're always looking
for a new talent.
Really?
Now?
Sure.
That's Roger's private elevator.
Hang on a sec.
Hello.
Have a seat.
Thank you.
Liberals don't get Megyn.
She's a star, not because
she thinks Santa's white.
but because she'll say it.
That's right.
If you have courage in the spotlight,
it's powerful to watch.
And she went up 30% that quarter.
And rather that too.
All audience is want is authenticity.
For two hundred years,
Santa is a fat white guy.
They think Santa,
that's what they see.
You wanna change that? Fine.
Let's discuss it without
you calling my people racist.
Exactly.
A liberal is somebody
who wants to live in a future
that he is too lazy, or too arrogant
to actually create.
In my family, Santa's always been white.
And according to my Grandaddy, a communist.
So, that's my family.
So, what can I do for you, Kayla?
Why did you drop by to see me?
The thing is, sir.
I actually started on air during college
in Central Florida. Weather.
I wanna convince you
that that is where I belong, Mr. Ailes.
I think I'd be freakin' phenomenal
on your network.
It's Mr. Murdoch's air.
But I did create it.
I do run it.
You have a pretty face.
Stand up and give me a twirl.
Now?
Yeah, just a quick spin.
Sure.
That's very good.
Pull your dress up
and let me see your legs.
It's a visual medium, Kayla.
Come on.
Higher.
Higher.
That's fine, Kayla.
Why don't you sit down.
Thank you.
You have a great body.
Thank you.
Mr. Ailes. I'd appreciated if
you didn't mention--
No, of course.
I'm here to help my employees,
not to hurt them.
Anything that happens here, in this room,
is strictly between you and me.
Okay.
Of course, it cuts both ways.
I'm discreet, but unforgiving.
Success in broadcast television
is hard, it's arbitrary.
This is the most competitive
industry on Earth.
You understand what I'm saying?
We could work together.
I can pluck you out and move you
all the way to the front of the line.
But I want something in return.
You know what that is, Kayla?
Loyalty.
I need to know that you're loyal.
I need you to find a way to prove it.
You think about that, all right?
So, we'll talk again.
Faye can show you the way out.
Thank you, sir.
Jess. Jess.
Something really weird just happened.
I just went to say hi to--
I just-- I met--
I was invited to meet Roger.
I mean nothing--
Nothing happened.
Kayla.
It's actually better for you
if you don't involve me in this.
'Cause they know the workarounds.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
This place is crazy.
No Trump! No KKK!
No fascist USA!
Jesus. Okay, we're here.
His assistant's name is Rona.
The security guard is Keith.
Got it.
Gil, last words?
Yeah, don't piss him off.
I need this job. Good luck.
I'll be waiting right here, okay?
During the day, if I'm in the office,
I have a number of people
that I'll just call out a tweet to.
It's always my right.
You probably had some pretty nasty
tweets sent your way,
I don't want that to happen
but my fans--
But you retweet some of those.
It's not just the fans.
But not the more nasty ones.
You would be amazed
with the ones I don't retweet.
Bimbo?
Well, there was a retweet, yeah.
Did I say that?
Many times.
Okay, excuse me.
Not the most horrible thing
Over your life Megyn, you've been called
a lot worse. Is that right?
That's enough.
Well, what do you think?
I think you're too solicitous.
Thank you.
With these ones I can
handle it straight positive.
I'm sorry, he attacks you
for a year straight.
And you let him off
with a fucking "oops."
What? I don't let him off.
I confront him.
I used Donald Trump.
Honey, you absolved him.
Dough, there are internal
political pressures in play here--
Yeah, I bet. I get it, Gil.
Can we have a second, guys? Please?
I'm not trying to be critical, I just--
Well, you are!
I made this go away.
I stopped his harassing bullshit for us.
I've never asked you to do that.
He is going to be the
Republican candidate for President.
I'm a news anchor,
I need access to him.
You need access?
At what fucking price?
At what price?
The price of our apartment.
My salary.
That pays our fucking bills!
Look, for the record--
No! It's been a shitty year!
Really fucking shitty year,
and I'm allowed to won it over!
You are.
Fuck.
Do we really need AR-15s
to be able to hunt deer?
Protect our families?
I'm in favor of people
being able to carry handguns.
Some of these mass shootings would've been
less deadly if that'd been the case.
But I'm also with the majority today.
Taking a stand against
semi-automatic assault weapons,
which brings us back
to the question of the day.
Should Congress reinstate
the assault weapons ban?
I know a lot of you
don't agree with me, that's fine.
Eighty nine percent
of you say "no."
And that what makes America great.
Great.
The second floor wants to see you.
- Now?
- Yeah.
This is Kayla.
Hi.
Yeah, I'll come right up then.
Ladies.
Hey.
Hot in here.
Gretchen.
How are you?
Okay. I miss our lunches.
Roger wants to see me?
No, I think it was Dianne.
I just saw her in with Bill.
All right. Wow.
See you, ladies, later then.
Bye.
Roger's ready for you, Kayla.
Okay.
Never stops.
Gretchen, you've been such
an instrumental part of the Fox family.
Absolutely.
We just wanted to tell you
that we appreciated the work--
He firing me, isn't he?
Yes.
You wanna tell me why?
What could they say?
You're sexy, but you're too much work.
You're a men hater.
To get ahead you gotta
give a little head.
Good luck, Ms. Carlson.
Do you know why
we dress soldiers the same?
So everybody knows
they're replaceable.
I refuse to be replaceable.
I finally did it. I'm out.
Did they give you a cause?
- No.
- Good.
Ready to go to war?
Oh yeah! I'm ready.
Murdoch here.
Funny. Have you seen the lawsuit?
Which lawsuit?
I'm not stopping.
Roger is being sued for sexual
harassment by Gretchen Carlson.
Where's Dad?
Paris.
Yeah?
I have your father's
attorney for you.
Thank you.
Morning, this employee
has sued Roger personally.
He doesn't know who she is.
Are you familiar with Ms. Carlson?
Until two hours ago
I've never heard about her.
More importantly, no one
heard from her after she was fired.
Wait, not even
to negotiate a severance?
No, and that suggests she knew
it was coming and she had a plan.
As News Corp. attorney,
I recommend you conduct
an internal investigation
into Roger's behavior.
I know you two have had
issues with him.
I need everyone's attention!
Listen up people!
A post employee has received
a package of anthrax, that's just above us.
Close the goddamn vents!
All of them, right now!
Roger.
Nobody opens the mail!
Roger.
We're under attack! Don't touch--
Roger!
Everything upstairs is under control.
You need to calm down.
Do not give orders in my newsroom!
If it was yours, you'd own it.
It's okay everyone,
everything's gonna be fine.
Go back to work. Thank you.
Yeah, let's look into her claims.
Done.
Hi.
Oh my God. It's anchor barbie.
I'm testing for a Fox Business.
Holy fucking Christ!
I'll call you right back.
Pull up 'The New York Times' right now.
Josh. Get me a nice shot
for Main street, no pre-seasoning.
Right.
When you're photographing
for my paper, don't wear a hoodie.
Okay.
Hoodies are creepy.
Thank you. Thank you.
What is that?
Just grocery store sushi.
Sushi is not liberal food.
I didn't say that it was.
Hi, love.
Go home. Right now.
Don't talk to anybody.
What? Roger.
I'm making out.
Go home, I'll meet you there.
What?
Fox News host Gretchen Carlson
has filed a lawsuit
against the network CEO Roger Ailes,
claiming she was fired because--
Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes is responding
to a lawsuit filed by lawyers for Gretchen Carlson--
Alleged that she was fired
after turning down sexual advances--
Carlson claimed in the lawsuit that Ailes took her off
the popular morning show 'Fox & Friends' in 2013,
cut her pay and placed her
in a less desirable afternoon time slot
because she refused to have
a sexual relationship with him.
The lawsuit was filed
in New Jersey state court...
Champ's making his rounds.
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Beth, I just talked to the Rep.
It's an online publication.
I say how sad it is.
We've got this woman
making these complaints,
when there are real victims out there.
I know Roger.
I told 'People' magazine we've been
in the office alone a lot over 15 years.
I've never seen anything
like what I'm reading now.
I say I don't even think Gretchen Carlson
has a friend in the building.
I know Roger, someone
would've told me.
They gonna quote me on that.
Not a ring of truth.
Maria Bartiromo send
variety of stock chart.
- Hey, we're up.
- Woohoo.
Hannity tweeted: "I talked to hundreds
of women at Fox this week
both on air and off,
they say it all BS."
Brit Hume too.
Brit?
"Why didn't Gretchen quit and sue,
instead of suing only after she got fired?"
Why didn't she complain?
"Why didn't she complain?" - really?
He means the anonymous hotline.
- There's a hotline?
- Yeah.
I did the harassment seminar twice.
I never heard about a hotline.
Because it's bullshit.
They have a contractual right
to monitor our communications.
A hotline in this building is like
a complaint box in occupied Paris.
It's like we're telling women,
go on, speak up for yourself, just know,
the entire network is with Roger.
No one will believe you.
They'll call you a liar.
And as of you career,
you want assignments and air time?
Go ahead, call the paranoid man
who decides you salary,
a pervert, and do that on a fucking
anonymous hotline he controls
on a phone he has
a contractual right to record.
Jesus fucking Christ!
Do you think women are idiots?
It's like if somebody striped
you naked and they want you
to walk through this office
just to fucking prove it.
Okay.
Can I see you for a minute?
What the fuck was that?
I don't know, but I liked it.
I won't call you a feminist, but,
say, there's a spectrum, you are--
Roger harassed me.
Ten years ago.
I had turned down a law firm partnership
for an entry-level job here at Fox.
Roger would call me up to New York,
to dingle prospects.
I wanted his help.
Did you...
do anything?
No.
Will you talk?
- Megyn?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
I mean, going on the record...
Jesus.
That's basically admitting
you're the weak one in the herd.
No, it's admitting you're the hot one.
It has nothing to do with that, Gil.
- Say, women?
- Oh my God.
There is a reason certain women
came to fend Roger.
If I report this, and it leaks,
it will follow me for the rest of my career.
I don't wanna be defined
by Roger's bullshit.
I refuse to be a fucking
poster-girl for sexual harassment.
He can't still
be doing that crap, right?
I mean the man is a walker.
- Viagra?
- Gil!
Help me here, please.
How do I play this?
You only ask when you already know.
If I learned anything this year,
it's to not get sucked into a fight
with someone who has better reason
to be in it than you do.
Okay.
Okay.
So, what is it you wanna do?
For right now nothing.
- Good.
- Good.
There she is.
Roger.
Hello, my sweetheart.
Sit. Sit.
You've met Mayor Giuliani before.
Of course.
There's an internal investigation,
but I'm not gonna wait for it to clear me.
The Republican Convention
in less than two weeks away.
This is bullshit. I'm gonna fight that.
The charges are absurd.
I met Roger, I love that they'd just given
me a chance to repay you
from when I was in intensive care.
Roger called my idiot doctors
every day for four weeks.
He told them he'd put me on air
live from their hospital bed
if they didn't fix every stitch
of damage done.
But I'm also here as someone
who has dealt with this issue for years,
years on the side of women.
I don't wanna see
sexual violence trivialized.
I don't wanna see it become
some damn political football.
In that spirit I need to ask,
will an investigation find
anything uncomfortable?
Define uncomfortable.
Roger, quote: "I think you I should've had
a sexual relationship a long time ago,
and then you'd be good and better
and I'd be good and better."
- Did you say that?
- No, I'm not a fool.
You missed your chance
for me to harass you? Come on.
I think the law give it solicitous.
Telling a woman she was
fuckable a long time ago.
Who the hell thinks that worse?
Why is she suing, Roger?
Gretchen is a very competitive woman,
facing a severe likability issue,
one, that I shielded her from for years.
Her career is over, I'm afraid.
And she can't take a joke.
Roger is very salty.
I find him amusing.
It's my fault, I encourage it.
James Murdoch could be behind this,
his wife openly supports Hillary.
And it could go deeper.
I have good reason to believe that
inside the Obama White House
there've been discussions,
on what level I do not know,
of having me killed.
Oh Jesus.
Hi there.
Hey.
Roger needs you.
Your silence is being noticed.
The whole point of an investigation
is to find the truth, Jeanine.
Until that happens
I don't have a lot to say.
If this charge sticks,
the working assumption would be
every woman at Fox bent down
on her knees, even you.
If we sweep this thing under the rug,
Jeanine, and it happen again.
Under title seven Fox would be liable
for compensatory and punitive damages,
that could be hundreds of millions.
Let's worry about the law
before we do the PR, okay?
Does Roger want us? Yes.
He's a man.
He also gave us time,
he gave us opportunity.
We benefit from that kind of attention.
I mean, Jeanine Pirro?
She's like the founding member
of 'Team Roger'.
- You're not answering your phone.
- I know. I'm holding it.
Everybody is still looking for you.
Where were any of these people
to defend me from Trump?
Bill Shine told them not to.
What the fuck?!
Our boss.
Why are you guys in the hall?
I got a call from Roger's lawyers,
saying, to quote: "relax."
They're convincing Rupert to limit
the investigation to Gretchen and her team.
That's only five or six women.
Are you gonna let that happen?
I like Roger, I do.
I know.
Even if he can be
controlling and vindictive.
Those sins aren't
really the problem, Meg.
There are hundreds of stories
of Roger paying an employee's rehab,
or keeping somebody
terminally ill on payroll.
You remember when Chuck came out?
All Roger said was:
"I don't care where you put your paper,
as long as you don't tell me
where to put mine."
Again, not the most redeeming--
He promoted me.
He's looked past the rejection.
He looked past the risk
of this exact conversation.
He handed me the power to hurt him.
Morning.
Hi, Megyn.
We need to get Gerson Zweifach
on the phone.
Gerson, I'm calling from Roger.
He wants me to be a part
of your investigation.
We've decided on an outside firm.
But why?
Gerson, we can handle this ourselves.
I'm asking Paul Weiss.
Paul Weiss?
You tell him that I can
actively participate.
Mr. Giuliani, you're an old friend
of Roger, you've married them.
Sharing information with you will remove
the cloak of attorney-client privilege
making a testimony of any woman
who comes forward subject to discovery.
I understand, you give me a waver.
I will not structure this investigation
so Roger isn't perceived of as its target.
You wanna glue a guilty?
That depends on what we find.
Do you know a reporter Gabe Sherman?
No.
You're about to.
He's found six women who claim
Roger Ailes harassed them.
All from before
Roger founded Fox News.
This was years ago, he said
he would put me on the show,
but I had to go to bed
with him, and I just said:
"Yeah, right, you and who else?"
And he said: "Just me and a few
of my preferred friends."
I came in and he closed the door,
turned and kissed me
like I was his girlfriend,
like he knew it was coming.
He grabbed my tits, and he said:
"Look, no girl gets a job here
unless they're cooperative."
If you wanna make it in New York City
in a TV business,
you'll gonna have to fuck me,
and you'll gonna have to do that
with anyone I tell you to.
He finishes the test,
which is me pretending to cook,
then he pulls out a garter belt
and stockings, and says: "put these on."
So, yeah, I put them on.
And he said: "You know,
I can really help you,
but if you wanna play with the big boys
you'll have to lay with the big boys."
It was very transactional.
It was quiet. He stared at me.
He undid his pants
and took out his penis, very gingerly.
I had never seen one, I was scared.
And he said: "kiss it." I was 16.
Former anchor Gretchen Carlson filing
a sexual harassment lawsuit
against Fox News chief Roger Ailes.
More women are coming forward.
Ailes is denying the allegations...
The accusations against Roger Ailes--
I have never run
a goddamn Dairy Queen.
You don't get to go
and get whatever you want.
Everybody on my shows knows the meaning
of decency, and I do mean everybody.
A TV outfit needs tough,
confident women.
Do I push them? You bet your ass I do!
But have I ever demanded sex
during a casting session?
Have I offered extra pay for blowjobs?
Give me a goddamn break!
Why the hell would I do that?!
You know the look in a woman's eye
when she's interested?
Walk into casting, back then,
as the decider, there was a look they gave.
I did not always looked like this.
I never had to harass anybody,
and it's fucking offensive to say that I did!
They're trying to change history,
for their families.
Some of them probably
don't even remember what happened.
That's gracious of you, Beth.
But this is political, I defy you
defying any evidence
that a single part of what
these women are saying is true.
Get ready. More will come.
We need to let Rupert know
what it means if I lose.
Gretchen Carlson could kill Fox News!
This is a fight for your jobs!
If I go you go!
If you'd ask me what type
of sexual fetish Roger Ailes had,
I never would've come up
with garter belts, but it's fucking perfect.
Their stories are so similar.
That doesn't prove much. Sherman met
them all through Gretchen's lawyer.
They could've been coached.
Blowjob thing feels real to me.
Does Roger seem like a guy
who would get off
in that particular power dynamic - yes.
The guy who maybe thinks
world doesn't really count - maybe.
The guy who has reasons
to prefer a sex act
that lets him keep
his clothes on - sure.
But it still doesn't make it true.
If true, these incidents
all happen before Fox started.
- Should that matter?
- No.
Yes.
I talked to Gerson Zweifach.
And?
He asked me to encourage women
who have claims to come forward.
You remember what happened last time
you got between Rupert and Roger?
Before I speak out,
I need to know if this happened
to other women in Fox.
You understand that?
Is this the one where
you really wanna know?
Or you wanna look like
you really wanna know, but don't?
I really wanna know.
I'm not always like that.
No one around here believes
Roger would wanna harass Gretchen.
I will send you some
of her soapy notes to Roger.
"Last night Sandra filled in for Megyn,
why not me [smiley face]?"
Who sends a harasser a smiley face?
- Martin.
- Hey, Nancy.
- Thanks for coming.
- Of course.
Hi, Nancy, coffee?
Thank you.
So, what do you got?
No one from Fox has come forward.
No one?
Rudi Bakhtiar.
But no one who's still there?
It's been nothing but praise for Roger.
Except for Megyn Kelly.
She's been unusually silent.
Something must've happened
to Megyn in the past with Roger.
She's way too ambitious
not to support him.
Possibly.
Should you call?
Tell her this is a spotlight
you'd be happy to share?
Megyn? Share?
No, she wouldn't do it.
- What makes you say that?
- Because I wouldn't.
I mean Roger plays his women off against
each other, he's always done it, he'll say:
"Megyn thinks that Lisa
should get your spot", or:
"Megyn suspects
that you're screwing Kal."
And then a lawful advice
on how to get back at her,
as if you brought it up.
She's renegotiating her deal.
I could still of roughly
15 million reasons to stay quiet.
We do need some collaboration.
That would certainly help
with the other networks.
Oh God. What?
What Marty?
We've not had a lot of incoming
job interests from them.
What's not a lot?
None.
They're afraid of Roger.
No.
No woman gets to sue her boss.
Rule #1, corporate America -
you don't sue your boss.
I jumped off a cliff.
I thought one of them
would stand with me.
- Hey, mom.
- Hey, we're home.
Hey, honey.
There's a snack in the kitchen.
- Okay.
- Thanks.
We gonna get him.
Megyn doesn't wanna
release a statement.
It could be seen as
influencing the investigation.
Have her say that
to Roger's face.
Let us know who else
hasn't spoken up for him,
maybe she can
encourage them, privately.
No, Jesus! We need our
anchors. We need her!
Let me talk to her.
Yes please.
Look, sweetheart, this is
an island of safety and truth.
I wear pants.
No one has ever told me
not to wear pants!
I wear pants.
I'd love to know
where that came from.
We need everyone
on 'Team Roger', everyone.
- Hi.
- Good morning.
Come on.
No one makes me wear shirt skirts.
He was the first to put a female on
as a host of a prime-time show.
Roger Ailes champions women.
No. There is no leg cam.
Could you just hold on for one sec?
I have to wear pants on.
Not without authorization
from the second floor you don't.
We never fitted her for pants.
You can print whatever story
you like, but there is no leg cam.
Lily, Beth needs me
to talk to Megyn.
I'm gonna do an on-air statement
where all the Fox women come out
one by one behind me for Roger.
That will never happen.
Ains.
You know why Roger's got
that door block in his office.
'Cause of Bangladeshi from Accounting
wandered in one day by mistake.
Please.
It's so girls can come in from
the back elevator and no one sees them.
Really?
We get talent come in here all the time,
looking to get their faces done.
"I'm going to see Roger,
I gotta look my best."
One came back up
with her robe off and nose in chin.
Who was that?
My memory is horrible.
You should go see Jenis in Weather.
Nobody wants to talk.
Can you blame them?
No.
Where'd you disappear to?
I've got names.
Women rumored to have
stories about Roger.
- From who?
- Jenis.
Weather Jenis?
Everybody confides at her.
"Nobody from weather
wants your job."
What are gonna do with them?
Tell them this time's different.
Wait--
No. Don't wait.
Don't listen to him.
It's not only your job here.
I got kids, okay?
Lily has a baby now.
Julia'll lose her visa
and will have to go back to Canada.
We know that you've been talking
to broadcast networks.
You can get a job anywhere,
but we can't.
And no offense,
but who the hell will you be?
Nobody leaves Fox,
Megyn. Not really.
It's in your DNA now.
Think about what you're
blowing up here.
I say find the truth.
That face tells me nothing.
If they come after you,
it won't be you they come after.
Gretchen Carlson, your colleague
at Fox News, has issued some allegations,
some sexual harassment allegations,
over your boss Roger Ailes.
What is your position on this?
What did you think when you heard this?
In this country every famous,
powerful and wealthy person is a target.
You're a target. I'm a target.
Anytime somebody could come out
and sue us, attack us,
go to the press or anything like that.
And that's a deplorable situation.
I've worked for Roger Ailes for 20 years.
Best boss I've ever had.
I've never been told
what I can't wear.
I know you didn't ask,
but I think it needs to be said.
It's a very confusing time right now.
Tonight is Manhattanhenge.
Sunset will align perfectly
with the city's grid.
The best viewing streets
are 14th, 34th and 57th.
Good day New York.
A babe with no kiser?
This can't be a Fox affiliate.
Oh my God. How are you?
Good. How about you?
Good.
How's your mom?
She's good. She's training
to be a security guard.
Is that because of the Trump stuff?
No, she just wants a job
where she gets to carry a gun.
Did you come up here
to talk about Roger?
What would make you say that?
I've been in local for two years,
nobody's ever come to see me.
You miss us?
The network I worked at for 14 years,
that my dad helped built,
where my brother's a reporter?
Julia, did Roger ever..?
No.
I heard things, but nothing firsthand.
Good.
- I miss you.
- I miss you more.
We should go have a drink.
Yes.
Roger...
He has...
detectives on staff, about 14.
They look into enemies, follow them.
Post negative stories online.
It's called the 'Black Room'.
I don't want you in danger--
No. No. I'm not talking about me.
I'm talking about you.
Be careful who you ask questions
about Roger Ailes.
My lawyers are negotiating with Fox.
Not that Bill will pay any of it.
Bill?
O'Reilly.
And Jack.
Jesus.
Sorry.
Fish rots from the head.
I'm gonna talk to the outside firm
investigating this.
Paul Weiss.
I heard you had some issues over here.
I did.
If you have a name to give.
Roger.
I wouldn't ask
if I didn't think it was safe.
Roger.
Jack.
Roger.
Doug.
Jack.
Francisco.
Bill.
Roger.
It's Kayla, right?
Yeah.
Hi.
Hi. Megyn.
I know.
You used to work
with Gretchen, right?
Did you learn a lot from her?
I did. Yes.
I have nothing but good things
to say about her.
That's great.
I always find it so interesting who
history chooses to do something important.
I guess.
I wanted to ask you...
I wanted to ask you
if Roger is harassing you.
How did you know?
We find each other.
You too?
Long time ago.
Wow.
Are you okay?
You should report Roger.
You'll be protected.
Did you?
I took it to his superior.
Nothing happened.
I had to drop it.
Why?
I wanted to be on television.
Did you think what
your silence would mean
for us, the rest of us?
Roger is not my fault.
It would've been nice...
if somebody told us
that he's after more than legs.
That's nobody's job
to protect you, Kayla.
That's all of our job.
I don't get you, you're...
you have power.
Why are you still playing
by old rules?
You're Megyn Kelly.
Look around, snowflake.
How do think I succeeded?
How do you think a woman gets
a prime time Fox show?
So, you had sex with him?
Jesus fucking Christ.
Hello.
Hey. It's me.
Oh my God! What the fuck, Kayla?
It said Bill in my phone.
Sorry, I saved my number
under his name in your phone,
as a joke. I forgot.
Oh my God. Jesus Christ.
I had a heart attack.
Where are you?
I'm on a date.
Okay.
Did you...
Did you give my name
to Megyn by any chance?
I may have...
worried about you
out loud, once or twice.
Why didn't you just...
support me?
I don't even know.
I couldn't do anything and I...
I can't fuck up.
'Cause I'm a lesbian at Fox News.
So?
Who's your date with, Kayla?
I can't just go on a date
with a dude and make it go away.
I think I'm...
I think I'm gonna call Paul Weiss.
Okay. That's good.
That's really good.
I'm really glad you're doing that.
I think that's absolutely
what you should do.
Okay. Great.
I can't call anyone else and I just...
I need someone right now to...
tell me that that's what I should do.
Oh my God. Yes.
I heard it was like an outside firm,
and they're taking it really seriously.
Okay. Great. Thanks.
Kayla.
What happened?
I did it.
I did it. I gave it to him.
Kayla, I...
I'm so sorry.
He kept talking, he just
kept talking, kept saying...
"Good girl. That's a good girl.
You're a good soldier.
Earn your place."
Fuck.
He didn't even unbuckle.
I feel so filthy.
No. Kayla. You didn't do
anything wrong.
I'm sorry.
I better go.
Roger can sense vulnerabilities.
In those days our meetings
were career strategy sessions,
mixed with good advice,
and comments like.
The most basic thing is confidence.
Feel at home in your own skin.
If you're confident, you're sexy.
I'm sure you have some sexy bras.
I'd love to see you in those.
It was a cat-and-mouse game.
But he always gave me
good advice and let me deflect.
Tell him to dream on.
The more I let him get away with
the more he pushed my buttons.
I don't know if women
can be good interviewers.
Men have that killer instinct,
and we do bad things,
and we do not feel guilty about it.
How can I be sure you have that...
that kind of drive?
Finally, in January.
This is '06?
Yes.
He grabbed me.
Tried to kiss me.
I pushed him away twice.
As I was leaving, he asked:
"when is your contract up?"
After the third time I left.
And he never tried anything again?
No.
I ignored his calls. Stayed in D. C.
Two years later I had a show.
Any long-term consequences?
Yeah...
Am I witness "W"?
Yes. Why?
It's a 23rd letter in the alphabet.
Have 22 other women come forward
since I first spoke to you?
Have they?
Will there be more?
A major bombshell this morning.
Star anchor Megyn Kelly
has informed lawyers that Fox News CEO
Roger Ailes sexually harassed her--
For her to level these allegations
is devastating against Ailes...
We are seeing the end
of an era at Fox News--
It was a dagger in his heart,
in some way.
The notion that Megyn Kelly
was among his accusers.
What?
What?!
Yes! Yes!
Roger. What's the matter?
Megyn's claiming I harassed her.
You saw a Gabe's Sherman post?
James has been feeding him bullshit!
Come through Megyn's press.
Find every single positive thing
she said about me, and get it out, now!
Roger, I can't discredit
an anchor on pay to promote.
Then I'll hurl her
in the Fox hole with you.
Leak something to Breitbart
or to Drudge. I'll talk to Susan--
- I'm sorry, Roger.
- Do something!
At least get some shit
about Gretchen out there!
These women are trying to fuck me!
I have no answers for you.
I don't really know.
Thanks.
Hey, Gil.
Hey, Greta.
What's Megyn singing?
It's part of a contract negotiation?
It's not economic, or political.
Okay, Gil.
This is scary, It's like the whole world's
on fire and no one can be trusted.
Hey, Geraldo, CNN, line six.
Can't talk.
He is certainly in 'Times'.
Why aren't you on the phone?
To comment on sexual harassment.
We work for Bill.
'Team Roger'.
Hey, we need you to wear it.
- No.
- Are you kidding?
No!
Get it on.
Megyn Kelly has no comment.
She's traveling...
To Cleveland.
For the Republican Convention, remember?
I've known him for 40 years.
And he's about as flirty as
the grizzly, when you rub on it.
Let me tell you something.
I called these allegations sick,
'cause they are sick.
Why wasn't I let in on a pact?
What pact?
Breitbart is saying there is a pact
among our top 50 on-air talents.
If Roger gets fired, we all walk.
- Great, where do I sign?
- I've never heard of a pact.
Me neither.
Roger placed it.
Fake news. Come on.
How bad does it look for Roger?
Bad.
Doesn't feel like I imagined it would.
Gretchen, you achieved
something remarkable.
Yes. I did.
Mom.
I think it's time we finish this.
Okay. I'll let you know.
Mom, are you done with that?
I'm done.
I made the Murdochs 1.5 billion
in profit last year. Pure profit.
Fox News is the most successful
cable franchise in history.
Gretchen Carlson's lawyers.
She wants to settle.
It's a lot less appealing
to sue you personally
without Rupert's money behind you.
Hey, Ken.
Ken?
- Hey. Who's here?
- Oh my Gosh.
I brought you some small people.
We practiced that scare for two weeks.
Look at you.
Hi.
Look who's here?
It was so scary.
Thank you.
How are you, sweetheart?
I'm either damned for doing it,
or damned for not doing it sooner.
Tell me my big mouth
didn't ruin our life.
Not yet.
Can I speak to Roger alone, please?
Are you sure you want Beth here?
Of course.
Gretchen taped your conversations.
That's a goddamn lie!
For over a year.
But, you don't believe her.
Your quotes in her lawsuit,
they're from tapes.
What?
Why didn't they tell us before?
So you'd issue complete denials.
So you'd have no credibility.
Apparently, she did her homework.
God Bless our next
President Donald Trump.
And God Bless the
United States of America!
Mr. Giuliani is fired up.
When we come back we'll discuss the speech
with the man who helped drive it.
Don't react, okay?
Roger's out.
Is that sourced, Gil?
Yeah. The 'New York Post'.
They put him on the cover.
Rupert's telling him to let go.
And that's a scoop.
We gonna win so big.
Thank you very much.
There is some breaking news tonight
in the world of media and politics--
A blockbuster shake-up at Fox News--
A dramatic fall from grace--
Roger Ailes is out as top boss.
They want us to circle the block.
Hold on.
What's going on?
I've been shut down.
It's true.
Everything Richard said.
It's all true.
Roger lied to me.
Why? Because I'm a mandra here.
So, I have concerns my public defense
in Roger can be construit as coercive.
Hey. Pants.
Fuck off, Neil.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
No. No. Sit down.
I appreciate you driving up here, Roger.
Susan Estrich.
I hate that it's come to this.
Me too.
We gave these women jobs.
Put them on the air.
Made them famous.
You think for a goddamn second
I did any damage to any of them?
No, you don't.
You don't, Rupert.
There's now audience
for that side of the story.
To begin with, half of this you already
owe him from last year's bonus.
And we're paying it.
And paying off your contract.
Consider yourself lucky.
It's a contractual obligation.
I created the Murdoch family's
most profitable asset.
A third of your margin.
There are three of you.
I guess that means I pay for the food
that one of you puts in your mouth.
What if it's you.
I'd have fired you for cause--
Roger, you've built an amazing business.
No one can take that away from you.
But, under the circumstances...
This is a lot of money.
It won't look good to the people
that don't know your worth.
Take it. Honor your non-compete.
I never cared about the money.
We know, Roger.
Okay.
Okay.
I'd like to go to the newsroom with you.
I'd like us to announce
my leaving together.
No.
The end of the legman.
I won't miss him.
Boys.
Hope you two know
what you're doing.
Once Roger's office is cleared off
handguns, I'll move in.
I'll run the network
till the ship's aride.
Donald.
How's that speech coming?
Megyn's gotta go! Ho ho ho!
Convention's downstairs, folks.
Would you say people are shocked?
Come on. What'd he do to you? Megyn?
Of all the ways this could end.
I didn't see this one coming.
Gretchen Carlson got the Murdochs
to put the right of women above profit,
if only temporarily.
And I found myself
with the job I didn't want.
I couldn't really leave.
Even when I did.
You should keep that out.
People, can I get your attention please?
Mr. Murdoch is joining us today,
he has a very important
statement he'd like to say.
Excuse me, everyone.
I won't take long.
Roger Ailes is leaving Fox.
I want to start by thanking Roger
for his remarkable contribution
to our company, and to our country.
Twenty years ago Roger shared...
Here's the thing about
being sexually harassed at work.
It condemns you to questions.
You keep asking yourself:
what did I do? What did I say?
What did I wear? What did I miss?
Am I seen as weak?
Will they say I'm after money?
Will they say I'm after attention?
Will I be left out?
Will I be defined by this
for the rest of my life?
I will take over as chairman
and acting CEO
with the support of our existing
management team under Bill Shine.
If I stay do I just
have to put up with it?
Will the next place be different?
Or can I make it different?
Roger always said:
"Everyone on television
only has one real job -
to be likable."
Well, I don't care if you like me.
Only that you believe me.
A lot of people, even women,
are skeptical of harassment claims,
until they experience it themselves.
Or know someone who has.
I may be that person for you.
As you could see.
It's 20 million.
Plus the apology.
Correct.
I can't believe Fox agreed
to the apology.
I mean, it's unheard-of.
I mean, that never happens.
But you will have to sign that.
It's a strict confidentiality agreement.
Many will establish you told the truth,
but no one can ever hear it directly from you.
You will be muzzled, Gretchen.
Maybe.