Popular Fox TV anchor sues bosses for sex discrimination as she details massive egos, backstabbing and favoritism towards colleague

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:43, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 21:53, 3 June 2026 Popular Fox News anchor Taryn Asher has sued her television station, claiming she endured workplace discrimination as a woman before being fired after raising concerns.  Asher, 49, served as a longtime evening anchor for WJBK-TV since 2007, and became lead broadcaster for the evening news in 2022 before she was yanked from the station following a string of complaints.  Now, the newscaster is suing the network over gender discrimination allegations among a slew of other accusations, according to a lawsuit obtained by The Detroit Metro Times filed on June 3. According to the suit, the station is accused of suspending Asher in retaliation to a months-long back and forth after she claimed her bosses displayed favoritism toward her male co-anchor, Roop Raj. Asher originally raised her concerns over potential gender discrimination behavior after Paul McGonagle was appointed as the station's general manager in July 2025.  She claimed that, at that point, she had noticed an apparent pattern of men replacing women in leadership roles, the Metro Times reported.  Asher also claimed that her co-worker, Raj, and other members of the team had kept her excluded from conversations regarding guest interview assignments, and that Raj was being given more interview opportunities.  The concerns were brought to Assistant News Director Sean Lee in September 2025, and she later claimed she had been advocating for equal treatment between herself and Raj by denying the same opportunities as he, the lawsuit claimed, according to the outlet.  Taryn Asher, 49, served as a longtime evening anchor for WJBK-TV since 2007, and became lead broadcaster for the evening news in 2022, before she was fired from the station following a string of complaints According to the suit, the station is accused of suspending Asher in retaliation to a months-long back and forth after she claimed bosses displayed favoritism toward her male co-anchor, Roop Raj, pictured left with Asher Asher was placed on leave pending an investigation after the anchor was accused of 'egregious behavior' from the night before, the filing stated It was then that McGonagle said that Asher would possibly be given the opportunity to host the 'Let it Rip' segment five days a week, which the anchor was keen for.  In October, Brooks Blanton was then hired as the news director and Asher, Blanton and McGonagle met to discuss Asher's schedule adjustment that would remove her from the Friday evening news as anchor.  Raj was equally accommodated in this way for his segment, The Pulse, the suit claimed, according to the outlet.  However, she was allegedly later she would not be granted the accommodation.  As the back and forth continued into November, election night saw Raj scheduled for all guest interviews during the 5pm and 6pm shows, which were supposed to be divided equally between the two, according to Detroit Free Press.  Asher had spoken with several producers about the election night opportunities she wasn't granted that very night, according to the lawsuit.  The next day on November 5, Asher was placed on leave pending an investigation after the anchor was accused of 'egregious behavior' from the night before, the filing stated, according to the outlet.  According to the complaint, Raj told the station's human resources department that he believed Asher to be 'jealous' and that the anchor's complaints on discrimination were her issues with 'men versus women.'  According to the complaint, Raj told the station's human resources department that he believed Asher to be 'jealous' and that the anchor's complaints on discrimination were her issues with 'men versus women' The station was accused of allowing male employees to shout out profanities - citing one male employee who was later promoted afterward - make sexually inappropriate comments and engage in sexual harassment Asher is seeking damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress, damage to her professional reputation, punitive damages, attorney fees and costs Asher was then informed on November 14 that she had engaged in unprofessional conduct and used profanity, according to Detroit Free Press.  Blanton and Human Resources Director Dalina Hayes also referred to her alleged behavior as 'outbursts,' according to the Metro Times.  Asher denied the allegations, and said she had never had outbursts or engaged in any unprofessional conduct that would justify termination, the outlet reported.   The anchor was then called by the station on November 21 and told that her last day at the network would be the following day with no termination letter provided.  According to the outlet, a union attorney contacted the network and Asher's amended termination date would be in June 2026.  The complaint further accused the network of being more lenient with male employees, citing Raj's arrest for drunken-driving in 2012, McGonagle's arrest in 2018 for the same offence in Washington DC and former Fox journalist Charlie LeDuff's arrest in 2013 for disorderly conduct, the Metro Times reported.  According to the outlet, the station was also accused of allowing male employees to shout out profanities - citing one male employee who was later promoted afterward- make sexually inappropriate comments and engage in sexual harassment, the lawsuit alleged.  Asher is seeking damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress, damage to her professional reputation, punitive damages, attorney fees and costs, the outlet reported. The Daily Mail reached out to Asher and Fox News for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.