The former Miss America Gretchen Carlson remains very relevant even after so many years of her victory in the media. She is a television commentator and chairman of the Miss America board. Carlson has always been passionate about media production and has supported this drive with a flourishing career in television. She has worked as a presenter on shows such as Fox & Friends and The Early Show and has extensive experience in news coverage. In addition to her work as a television commentator, she is also an author; Carlson published her autobiography Getting Real in 2015.
Gretchen’s media presence has been plagued by numerous controversies, many of which have brought her name to the attention of the general public. From sexual harassment to Miss America conflicts, Gretchen must have a number of life stories in her personal diary. These events have also made people want to know more about the media personality. Finding out more facts about Carlson would mean answering some of the frequently asked questions about her career and personal life.
Who Is Gretchen Carlson?
She was born on June 21, 1966, in Anoka, Minnesota, the daughter of her parents Karen Barbara and her father Lee Roy Carlson. She was raised, along with her two brothers and one sister, by her Lutheran parents, who also taught them the values of the Lutheran Church. Gretchen attended Anoka High School and was popular in school for her brilliance. In 1984 she earned the title of valedictorian and was also elected one of Anoka’s homecoming companions.
In 1988, Carlson participated in the Miss Minnesota pageant and won. She then won the Miss America title for her state. She attended Stanford University and studied organizational behavior.
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Gretchen’s career began when she joined CBS News as a correspondent in 2000. Before that, however, she worked for KXAS-TV in Texas as a weekend anchor and reporter. She held the same positions at WOIO-TV in Cleveland and also at WCPO-TV, Cincinnati. Carlson began working as a co-host on the CBS show “The Early Show” in 2002 and was highly recognized for her performance on the show.
She gradually moved to television and began her career as a political reporter for WRIC_Tv in Richmond, Virginia. She became a weekend replacement host on the show Fox & Friends and was later named co-host of the show on weekdays along with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade. After so many years with Fox & Friends, Carlson left the show and was named co-host of The Real Story along with Gretchen Carlson. However, the show was later canceled after Carlson left Fox News.
What Is She Doing Now?
Gretchen Carlson is the chairperson of the board of the Miss America organization. Her tenure as chair has also been marked by many controversies over issues of unfair treatment and toxicity. But Carlson has maintained her position. She has been involved in some outreaches and is a supporter of the “Miss You Can Do It” election, which was created by former Miss Iowa USA, Abbey Curran, in honor of young women with special needs.
Gretchen lives with her husband Casey Close and their two children in Greenwich, Connecticut.
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What Happened to Her?
Carlson’s contract with Fox News reportedly expired in 2016, and in July of the same year, former Miss America announced on her Twitter page that she had left Fox. The same day she made the announcement, reports spread like wildfire that Carlson had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. At the same time, six other women came forward to accuse the Fox News chairman of sexual harassment.
Carlson followed the developments on the news and used her popularity to reach her fans and other victims of sexual assault via live stream videos from her Twitter account. She offered support and help to victims of assault and urged them to stay strong. Fox had demanded that the case be dealt with in a mandatory closed session arbitration, as provided for in Gretchen’s ongoing contract with the company, but this was rejected.
After a long wrangle, Roger Ailes resigned as chairman of Fox News in July 2016 and Carlson received $20 million in compensation.
