Parting Shot

Gretchen Carlson

Former Fox News aNchor GretcheN carlsoN waNts womeN (and men) to feel safe at work. The women’s empowerment advocate helped lead the way for the #MeToo movement when she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox chairman Roger Ailes in 2016. Not only did Ailes eventually step down as CEO, but the network settled the lawsuit for $20 million and publicly apologized to Carlson. After writing her best-selling novel Be Fierce, Carlson was inspired to work with Lifetime on the documentary Breaking the Silence, which uncovers the stories of McDonald’s workers who allegedly experienced sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace. Now, Carlson’s own personal journey is being turned into a movie, starring Nicole Kidman, as well as a Showtime series starring Naomi Watts. “My hope is that they stop turning a blind eye to sexual harassment and determine how to make workplaces safer for everyone,” Carlson says. “It’s not that tough. The final part in really making change is having companies realize this is not a passing fad.”

What is it like to have Kidman and Watts portray you on film and TV?

It’s surreal to have these two best friends in real life playing me—a small-town girl from Minnesota.

Why did you focus on McDonald’s?

The stories were compelling and nobody had told it before. People are scared of really getting down to the nitty gritty. The only way companies are going to fix the problem is if we actually talk about it and force change.

How did you get the women in the documentary to open up to you?

We immediately had a connection. They knew that I wasn’t going to judge them. They knew I understood them. They also knew that I was going to go and try and get answers for them.

“The final part in really making change is having companies realize this is not a passing fad.”

Were you surprised by anything in this documentary?

I got to see the transformation of these young women from immense pain to being leaders. It’s an amazing story about hardship. It’s emblematic to my life in a way. They are now speaking their truths and being a voice to empower other women. They actually become more whole as people from their experience. I didn’t know I was going to capture that. Sometimes people don’t want to talk about this issue because they think it’s sad and it’s just easier to ignore it, but what’s great is that you see this positive outcome. They’re amazing examples now for their children and for other families. —Maria Vultaggio