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What a difference a few months makes. At the start of the year, Abby Grossberg, the former Fox News producer-turned-litigant, was far from a household name.
Though she still isn’t universally recognized, her name is being tossed about in some concerning circles. Grossberg has become a target of the rabid, conservative media ecosystem she helped create as producer of some of the most far-right content on Fox.
Grossberg filed a pair of lawsuits against Fox in March alleging that network lawyers pressured her to provide a misleading deposition as it faced a defamation lawsuit for lies its hosts spread about Dominion Voting Systems following the 2020 election.
Greenberg, who most recently worked as senior booking producer on Tucker Carlson’s now-canceled show, claims in one of the lawsuits that she encountered rampant sexism and antisemitism during her time at the network. (Fox denies Grossberg's allegations, and Carlson hasn't publicly responded to them as of Thursday afternoon.)
So, let’s see: A Jewish woman making claims of misogyny and antisemitism against one of the most popular right-wing figures in the United States. Any guesses how this is playing out? (Unless you’re new here, the conspiratorial conservative backlash ought to be predictable at this point.)
On Wednesday, several ultraconservative outlets — including The Blaze, Town Hall and The Post Millennial — seized on remarks from Grossberg’s lawyer to imply Grossberg was lying about Carlson’s role in creating a toxic work environment.
After Grossberg's lawyer Kimberly Catala told The Spectator, a conservative outlet, that her client had “never met Carlson in person because he taped the show from his personal studios," conservatives leaped on the claim to suggest Carlson was being falsely accused. This was hardly the "gotcha" conservatives claimed it to be. The pandemic ushered in a new era in television-making where plenty of news shows are now produced remotely. And hostile work interactions via phone or email are certainly possible.
Multiple reports this week alleged that vulgar and offensive comments Carlson made via text were among the redactions Fox lawyers fought to keep if Dominion's lawsuit against the network had gone to trial.
But never fret: Republicans always seem ready with excuses. A Newsmax host trotted out an unbelievable one after Grossberg appeared on MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" on Tuesday.
During an interview with host Nicolle Wallace, Grossberg said she joined Carlson's team last year with the hopes that his behind-the-scenes antics were more appropriate than his on-air musings.
“Wait, he was the same off air as he was on air?" Newsmax host Chris Salcedo said Wednesday.
What a turn of events.
One wonders how Grossberg feels now that she’s at the center of bogus right-wing claims, rather than enabling their spread.