Remembering Roger Ailes: Decorated Harasser, Notable Hemophiliac
Roger Ailes died Thursday morning, his family confirmed. The pioneering sexual predator was 77.
He will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to the sexual harassment of women, ruthless professional retaliation against women who rebuffed his advances, and ogre-like appearance.
Ailes’ public career as a predator began in the 1960s, when he first approached women in professional settings and made unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate comments. As he gained experience, he learned to attempt to barter sex for promotion and career advancements. “Taken together, these stories portray Ailes as a boss who spoke openly of expecting women to perform sexual favors in exchange for job opportunities,” author Gabriel Sherman wrote in a glowing New York magazine article on the sexual misconduct committed by the otherwise professionally unremarkable Ailes.
At FoxNews, a widely derided media outlet best known for its institutional sexism and misogyny, Mr. Ailes continued preying on accomplished media professionals who happened to be women. It was here that he began dismantling the careers of women who refused his advances or spoke out against him, demoting and later firing Andrea Tantaros after she reported abusive behavior from Ailes, and doing the same to former anchor Gretchen Carlson.
“Roger taught me everything I know about how to exploit young women at the beginning[s] of there [sic] careers,” Ailes’ long-time mentee and close friend Bill O’Reilly said in a statement released on his recently revived LiveJournal.
Ailes’ most notable professional accomplishments include being named in lawsuits by prominent female journalists.
Mr. Ailes is survived by a slew of ex-wives and estranged family, who asked not to be named because they are “deeply ashamed of their ties to him,” says a family spokesperson.