Fox News has reportedly reached a monster settlement deal with former host Melissa Francis, who accused the network of having gender pay disparity during her tenure.
The Washington Post reports that the cable news channel has agreed to pay about $15 million to Francis, who departed in 2020 after spending nine years as a host for Fox News and Fox Business.
“Fox News has always been committed to the equitable treatment of all employees which we have demonstrated consistently over our 26-year history, and we are extremely proud of our business,” a spokesperson told Mediaite in a statement.
“We parted ways with Melissa Francis over a year and a half ago and her allegations were entirely without merit. We have also fully cooperated with the New York State Department of Labor’s investigation and look forward to the completion of this matter.”
Francis formerly filed a complaint with the New York State Department of Labor alleging retribution by Fox News after she spotlighted a gender pay gap at the company.
The former host claims that Dianne Brandi, a former executive vice president for legal and business affairs at the network, recognized a pay discrepancy between men and women at Fox News. However, the spokesperson denies that dialogue ever occurred.
“Melissa Francis’s version of that conversation is untrue and patently absurd – furthermore, it is illogical that anyone with Dianne Brandi’s level of experience in negotiating talent contracts for a living would make such a ludicrous statement,” the Fox News spokesperson said.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
