Gretchen Carlson, American model and television journalist, Miss America 1989
Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson (born June 21, 1966) is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. Carlson appeared as the host of numerous television programs, most notably on the Saturday edition of The Early Show on CBS News from 2002 to 2005, Fox News's morning show Fox & Friends from 2005 to 2013, and The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson on Fox News from 2013 to 2016.
In July 2016, Carlson filed a lawsuit against then Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes claiming sexual harassment. Subsequently, dozens of other women also stepped forward to accuse Ailes of harassment, and Ailes resigned under pressure. In September 2016, Carlson and 21st Century Fox settled the lawsuit reportedly for $20 million and Carlson received a public apology. Carlson was one of the first high publicity cases of 2016's #MeToo movement.
Carlson was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People In The World in 2017. She has written two bestselling books, her memoir, Getting Real, and the New York Times bestseller Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back.
About three decades after the former beauty pageant contestant was crowned Miss America 1989, Carlson served as chairwoman of the board of directors of the Miss America Organization from 2018 to 2019, implementing changes to shift the focus of the pageant from appearances to achievements. Also in 2019, she co-founded Lift Our Voices to ban non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and forced arbitration clauses in employment agreements in the American workplace so that victims of sexual harassment, pay inequity, and workplace toxicity would not be forcibly silenced by them; she and other founders of the movement regard these tactics as retaliation against victims.Carlson joined PEOPLE (the TV Show!) as a special contributor in October 2020. She focuses on stories that highlight everyday American heroes doing inspirational acts.
In February 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, a law championed by Carlson which excludes sexual assault and sexual harassment complaints from arbitration clauses, including retroactively. On March 3, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law.