© Charles Sykes
And it appears she won't be the last, either. In recent days, more than a dozen women have contacted Carlson's New Jersey-based attorney, Nancy Erika Smith, and made detailed allegations of sexual harassment by Ailes over a 25-year period dating back to the 1960s when he was a producer on The Mike Douglas Show. "These are women who have never told these stories until now," Smith told me. "Some are in lot of pain." Taken together, these stories portray Ailes as a boss who spoke openly of expecting women to perform sexual favors in exchange for job opportunities. "He said that's how all these men in media and politics work — everyone's got their friend," recalled Kellie Boyle, who says Ailes propositioned her in 1989, shortly after he helped George H.W. Bush become president, serving as his chief media strategist.
Six of the women agreed to speak with New York publicly for the first time. Two spoke on the record; the others requested anonymity for reasons that include shame and fear of retribution. "I didn't tell my husband, it was so mortifying," said Marsha Callahan, a former model who says Ailes harassed her in the late '60s, shortly before he became Richard Nixon's media adviser.
Comment: See also: Ex-Fox News host Gretchen Carlson accuses CEO of 'severe' sexual harassment