In May 2017, she filed a gender discrimination and disability lawsuit against the network and settled, and left the company in March 2018. she was abruptly pulled off of both shows. 1 post among public Facebook pages on Friday morning was an article about Mr. Soros published by the far-right website Breitbart. Francis alleges to have brought forth information that showed the network was not paying their female employees adequately. But the newspaper reported that Francis had filed a gender-based pay discrimination complaint against the company which had gone into arbitration when she was taken off the air. The spokesperson said the company has undergone a comprehensive overhaul of its entire workplace culture including tripling the size of its HR department, promoting more women in the executive ranks,elevating women in on-air host positions and other initiatives. During the broadcast, the former House speaker claimed that the main reason for violence at protests is the George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up. Melissa interjected, saying, Im not sure we need to bring George Soros into this. Contrary to Fox News false claims about a new era, what happened to Melissa shows that sexism and retaliation are still prevalent at the network. Francis, 49, was a regular fixture on Fox News where she was a panelist on the daytime chat show Outnumbered and Fox Business Network from 2012-20. His first civics lesson? Francis specifically complained that she was underpaid compared to her male colleagues, the Times further reportedsomething Fox News would not comment on at the time, citing confidentiality. TheWrap could find no evidence that any legal case was filed outside of Fox News. Melissa Francis, a regular on the Fox News talk show Outnumbered and co-anchor of Fox Business After the Bell, has not been on the network since October 7 and Im not advocating, Im telling you to mentally prepare. A former TV child actress, Francis joined Fox News Media in 2012 as an anchor for Fox Business and, in 2017, was given the opportunity to serve as a permanent co-host of the Fox News midday roundtable show Outnumbered. While the network says that Francis allegations are entirely without merit, one lawyer not connected to the ex-hosts case told The Washington Post that a settlement this large indicates there was probably pretty convincing evidence of an obvious and gross disparity in pay.. Francis had filed a separate complaint with the New York State Labor Department last year, arguing the conservative outlet retaliated against her after she brought up evidence of male hosts being paid more than their female counterparts, according to the Daily Beast. Fox News Contributor Judy Miller and Washington Times Online Opinion Editor Monica Crowley weigh in on the Washington Post reporters closed espionage trial in Iran, how Russia could use prisoners to lower world cup costs and why the French wont throw away food. In an interview with The Washington Post, Francis said that when she was first offered the promotion to Outnumbered in 2017, she was given a negligible increase in compensation, which was below $1 million a year and below what similar hosts were making. FBN anchor pens powerful memoir. Live Stream. We welcome a robust debate about the criminal justice system, the root causes of crime.. Outnumbered co-host Melissa Francis, who recently filed a pay discrimination complaint against Fox News, is off the air and her status is in doubt. Stirewalt will join the Chicago-based news channels Washington bureau. On the show, Mr. Gingrich claimed that the main cause of violence at the recent Black Lives Matter protests was the George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up., Melissa Francis, a Fox News anchor, then said, Im not sure we need to bring George Soros into this.. At the time, she was a co-host of one of Foxs biggest daytime shows, Outnumbered, and had been negotiating for a raise to match the salaries of her male counterparts. Fox News reportedly agreed to pay former anchor Melissa Francis approximately $15 million to settle a dispute over her claims of a gender pay gap at the network, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. An arbitrator asked Fox News for the salary information, setting an Oct. 7 deadline which turned out to be Francis last day on the air. Women make less. Her most recent tweet, from Oct. 18, said, Trump will win. Francis, a former TV child star who had been with Fox for eight years, had reportedly been working without a contract for roughly a year. Francis had been working at the network without a contract for almost a year when she was pulled from her regular slot co-hosting Outnumbered and a Fox Business Network program in October last year, The Los Angeles Times reported. Melissa Francis Before joining FBN, Melissa worked at CNBC. Francis explained that the in-home studio Fox had designed for her was operated remotely from their studios, right down to the lighting, cameras, and prompter. I was going to say you get the last word, Speaker, Faulker said. In June of 2022, it was reported by the Washington Post that Francis received a settlement of $15 million from Fox as a result of the pay gap complaint. Francis, who was working from a studio the network had set up at her house during the COVID lockdown, was preparing to do an upcoming newscast when she read on the Teleprompter that she wasnt needed anymore, she said on the SiriusXM radio program,The Megyn Kelly Show.. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. We have no idea what happened. And they were left scrambling. At the time, Fox cited program changes as the reason Francis was gone. Because of the complaint internal complaint that she made and what she did to pursue that without question.. I have a robotic camera so I dont have the power to turn any of it on and off. The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production and what it all means for the future. Thats how the world works, Brandi responded, according to Francis. Wow, she recalled. Francis has been off Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network since Oct. 7. Theyre looking specifically, Megyn, at the retaliation aspects of this because the based on what we described, it was so outrageous and so clear that it warrants government looking at it, which they are. Dont say I didnt warn you.. We have also fully cooperated with the New York State Department of Labors investigation and look forward to the completion of this matter.. Melissa Francis has been off the air at Fox News and Fox Business since Oct. 7, and it is unclear when or even if the Outnumbered co-host will return to either network. Former Fox News host Melissa Francis received a settlement of roughly $15 million from the network after complaining about gender-based pay discrepancies and discrimination at the conservative cable giant. What happened to Melissa Francis? Melissa Ryan, chief executive of Card Strategies, a consulting firm that researches disinformation, said right-wing media, influencers and even elected officials frequently invoked Mr. Soross name. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Outnumbered co-host Melissa Francis is off the air and her status at Fox News is in doubt, Former Fox News political analyst Chris Stirewalt joins Nexstars NewsNation, A prison at Disney World? In May 2017, she filed a gender discrimination and disability lawsuit against the network and settled, and left the company in March 2018. reported that Francis was actually locked, the network settled with New York Citys Commission on Human Rights for $1 million. Francis had been working at the network without a contract for almost a year when she was pulled from her regular slot co-hosting Outnumbered and a Fox Business Melissa Francis has been off the air at Fox News and Fox Business since Oct. 7, and it is unclear when or even if the Outnumbered co-host will return to either network. At the time, Fox News did not publicly comment on her status, instead framing the changes as an example of the network going about its normal business. In November 2017, Fox gave Francis a promotion, making her a permanent co-host of Outnumbered. And in recent months, he has become a convenient boogeyman for misinformation artists who have falsely claimed that he funds spontaneous Black Lives Matter protests as well as antifa, the decentralized and largely online, far-left activist network that opposes President Trump. WebListen to article. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. During the interview, she cited Dianne Brandi, a once popular Fox executive, as the leader of her salary negotiations. The fine grouped four separate "willful and wanton" violations that each carried a maximum penalty of $250,000. Melissa Francis, who quietly disappeared from Fox News in October 2020, received a $15-million settlement after she filed a gender-based, pay-disparity claim against the network. Melissa Francis has been off the air at Fox News and Fox Business since Oct. 7, and it is unclear when or even if the Outnumbered co-host will return to either Thats how the world works. The arbitrator, according to Francis, set a deadline of Oct. 7 for the network to provide salary information. We have also fully cooperated with the New York State Department of Labors investigation and look forward to the completion of this matter.. Im not advocating, Im telling you to mentally prepare. A Fox News representative denied that Brandi, who handled many talent contract negotiations during her tenure, ever made such a statement. Since she hosted a show on both Fox News and Fox Business and was a co-host of one of the most highly-rated shows on the network, she considered it reasonable to request a pay increase. Fox News paid the former Outnumbered co-host a $15 million settlement after taking her off air. At the time, her salary was less than $1 million, and she believed it was much less than the salaries her peers were earning, she told the Post. Two months later, Francis lawyer reached out to the network with a formal request to get information on how much other anchors were making, which the network did not grant. But now The Washington Post reports Francis had a pay dispute with the company, which later agreed to a multi-million-dollar payout to settle her claim. The revelation about Francis settlement amount comes just months after The Daily Beast first reported that she had filed a complaint with the New York State Department of Labor, claiming that Fox News retaliated against her for pointing out the pay disparity. "These changes are being made independent of any other ongoing matter.". YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Web1. We havealso fully cooperated with the NewYork State Department of Labors investigation and look forward to thecompletion of this matter.. Im not sure we need to bring George Soros into this, said co-host Melissa Francis. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. We have no idea what happened. And they wereleft scrambling. Television journalist and commentator Melissa Francis at Fox Studios on March 18, 2015, in New York City. Melissa Francis, who quietly disappeared from Fox News in October 2020, received a $15-million settlement after she filed a gender-based, pay-disparity claim against the network. Her at-home studio, she explained, was controlled remotely by Fox, so she was startled when the Teleprompter delivered the message, Youve been canceled, instead of her script. But to her shock, her discussions fell on deaf ears. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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Charlamagne Blasts Senators Inaction on Gun Reform While Benefiting from NRA Money, Cable News Ratings Friday April 14: Greg Gutfeld Has Top Two Shows in Demo, MTG Defends Trump Golfing With Lindsey Graham as Keeping Americas Biggest Traitors Close By, Oh, Here We Go! Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway Finally Settle Battle Over Who is More Elite. She was not put back on the air again despite her public campaign on Twitter and her messages to President Trump. The Breitbart article, which was published on Thursday, quickly went viral across the far-right online community. We parted ways with Melissa Francis over a year and a half ago and her allegations were entirely without merit, the company said in a statement. She Has An Ivy League Education. We have also fully cooperated with the New York State Department of Labors investigation and look forward to the completion of this matter.. Back in late October 2020, it was rumored that Francis had then filed a gender-based pay discrimination claim that was in arbitration with Fox regarding the matter. Ms. A spokesperson for Fox News issued the following statement on the issue at the time. So the lights come on, the teleprompter comes on I went over, I sat down, I clicked on my mic. Melissa filed her charge with the Department of Labor not for herself but for the women of the company who are still there, Mintzer told The Daily Beast. Five years later, Francis was hired by Fox News to co-host Outnumbered and continued to co-anchor a show on Fox Business. Earlier this year, the New York City Commission on Human Rights fined Fox News $1 million for violations of laws protecting against sexual harassment and job retaliation. Francis lawyer says he firmly believes that her complaint regarding the gender pay gap led to her being removed. Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Francis climbed the ranks at Fox, initially joining Fox Business as an anchor in 2012, having previously covered business news for CNBC. Its just a fact. Fox News, in a statement to The Daily Beast, disputed that exchange. The former host said she did not get a significant salary increase when she became a permanent co-host on Outnumbered, claiming she was paid less than $1 million, which she suspected was less than other hosts were making at the network. ", Fox News did not comment on the investigation, but told the outlet that it "parted ways with Melissa Francis nearly a year ago.". Contrary to Fox News false claims about a new era, what happened to Melissa shows that sexism and retaliation are still standard practice at the company. When that day came around, Francis said she was ready to go on air when a message popped up on her teleprompter reading: Youve been canceled.. The LA. As co-host of one of the networks Wow,' she added. Melissa Francis, who quietly disappeared from Fox News in October 2020, received a $15-million settlement after she filed a gender-based, pay-disparity claim against the network. The financial settlement, first reported Sunday by the Washington Post, came after Francis attempted to gather data on what other on-air employees earned at Fox News. They built a studio in my home. On Thursday, a Fox News host addressed the previous days interruption. As a result, the New York Department of Labor announced in December of 2021, that they would pursue an investigation over gender discrimination and retaliation complaints made by Francis. Reacting to the NYC Human Rights settlement, Fox News at the time said it was pleased to reach an amicable resolution while noting that the violations in the commissions report occurred before current Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott had taken over. I checked in, we talked to the producers, we did the whole thing, she recalled. May 26, 2015. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. She attempted to take a picture of the teleprompter screen but was not able to capture it before it faded. You know, things life was continuing as normal., Francis lawyer clarified that during this time she was still under her original contract with Fox and had yet to sign a new contract.. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. Those claims in my view, 100% led to her being taken off the air, he told Kelly. Perhaps no figure gets more attention in conspiracy circles than George Soros, the billionaire investor and Democratic donor. Even adjusting for experience, ratings, and time slots, she said she found that men at the network were paid significantly more than women. Fox News reps would not comment further on the hosts future or the status of any complaint. These changes are being made independent of any other ongoing matter. 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