“He would have me get down on my knees,” Luhn said, “and tell me , ‘You’re going to do whatever I tell you to do at any time.'” Obedience seemed to be a theme in their relationship, as Luhn quoted Ailes as telling her, “Just don’t ever question anything I ever ask you to do, Laurie.”
Fox paid her more than $3 million when she left the company, as part of a settlement that included a non-disclosure agreement, but when other women started speaking out against Ailes earlier this year, Luhn decided to come forward. “I finally felt safe when I saw that other women were speaking up,” she said.
Ailes told ABC in a statement:
Ms. Luhn is someone I once regarded as a friend and a person who I helped for many years. The stories she is telling now are fabrications built on half truths and outright lies, and I can only assume are opportunistically intended to thrust her back into the limelight at my expense.
The full interview will air Friday night on ’20/20.’
[Image via ABC News screengrab]