NBC’s Law & Order: SVU is planning an episode loosely based on the Roger Ailes scandal.
The SVU episode will be given the title of “The Newsroom” and will go into production next month. The story will center on a character named Howard Coyle who is described as “uber-powerful, brash, bullying, controlling, obnoxious, inappropriate” CEO of a news network. Other characters will include a 40 year old female news anchor named Heidi and a younger 20 year old, up and coming news anchor named Margery, who will do anything to advance her career.
Just to refresh everyone’s memory, Roger Ailes was the Chairman and CEO of Fox News.
On July 6, 2016, Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News anchor, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against then-CEO Ailes. In her complaint, she claimed that she was forced to resign from her program after she refused the sexual advances of Ailes.
Her lawsuit gained widespread media attention. Later, six women came forward to speak with Gabriel Sherman of New York Magazine and brought forth their own allegations of Ailes’ sexual misconduct toward them.
On July 19, Sherman wrote an article in the same magazine stating that, according to their sources, popular Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly allegedly told investigators that Ailes also made unwanted sexual advances toward her when she was a young correspondent.
Come July 21st, the parent company of Fox News, 21st Century Fox, then made the announcement that Roger Ailes had resigned as the head of the news network. He received $40 million as part of an exit agreement; meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch the executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, took direct control as Chairman of Fox News as well as its interim CEO.
Not long after, in September, Gretchen Carlson agreed to settle with the company for the amount of $20 million. Fox News also offered a public apology.
Guess which ones the characters are based on. Will you be watching?
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