this is "nightline." >> tonight, crossing lines. the woman who took on and took down one of the most powerful men in television news. >> i'm gretchen carlson. >> the former fox news star now breaking her silence. >> i have been fighting for women my entire rife. >> a strong woman revealing tonight reporter, she says she was sexually harassed by others. >> he took my head and he shoved my face into his crotch. >> and she's not the only one. this woman claims head honcho roger ailes harassed her at fox news for 20 years. >> "you're my sex slave, you're going to do whatever i tell you to do at any time." >> saying she was intimidated and pressured into submission. tonight two women say they are speaking out for every woman in

she's a former miss america who rose to fame as a television anchor. now gretchen carlson may be best known for taking a stand on an

workplace, sexual harassment. we begin with what led to her decision to file a lawsuit that changed the media landscape. >> a media and political bombshell -- >> ceo roger ailes handed in his resignation -- >> reporter: she's seen as the woman who brought down a titan of television. gretchen carlson's lawsuit accusing fox news chairman and ceo roger ailes of sexual harassment sending shock waves throughout the industry. >> it was off the charts. really happened at fox news. >> reporter: sarah ellison has reported extensively about ailes and his network, whose anchor women sported a signature look. >> the dresses are tighter, the skirts are shorter. a leg cam, a camera which shoots at a particular angle so you can see her legs are cross and thigh revealed. >> reporter: carlson fit the mold as coanchor of the morning show "fox and friends" for seven years. she alleged that behind the

a hostile workplace. >> read the headlines. >> reporter: ailes allegedly making comments like, i think you and i should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago. >> she starts to tape her meetings with roger. it's at this point where he sort of begins to say things to her that she includes in a lawsuit later. >> reporter: while carlson was quietly gathering evidence, ailes abruptly fired her last june. two weeks later she shot back with her explosive lawsuit. the backlash swift and from her former colleagues. >> i've worked for roger ailes for 20 years. right? best boss i've ever had. >> reporter: along with bill o'reilly, other fox stars lined up. why didn't she quit and sue instead of suing only after she got fired? but parent company 21st century fox listened and launched an internal investigation which turned up at least a dozen women, some of whom have strikingly similar stories. >> it gave the story a level of

gretchen carlson, there were other women. >> reporter: the crisis came to a crescendo when one woman who was noticeably absent from ailes' chorus of defenders spoke up. >> it culminated in a physical attempt to be with me which i rejected in his office. then i contacted a lawyer. he tried to kiss me three times. so i rejected that. and when i rejected that, he asked me when my contract was up. >> reporter: two weeks after carlson filed her lawsuit, roger ailes found himself locked out of the c the next day, fox announced his resignation. this past september, 21st century fox settled with gretchen carlson for a staggering $20 million and offering a rare public apology. "we sincerely regret that gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve." >> women do not normally get an apology. when something like this happens. and i think that was extraordinarily important.

allegations of sexual assault against him. still, it was the end of an era at fox news. ushered in by one woman. >> if gretchen carlson hadn't sued, would roger ailes still be the chairman of fox news? >> i think so, i think so. >> after months caught up in a media firestorm, gretchen carlson now finally speaking out using her story and her stature in the hopes of helping other women suffering in the face of sexual harassment. here's abc's amy robach. >> this one says, i want to praise and commend you for your bravery and strength for coming forward and paving the way for other women -- who are experiencing a horrible situation. >> reporter: gretchen carlson reading just a small sampling of the letters she's received since becoming cast unwittingly in the role of warrior for women against workplace sexual harassment. >> you've become a hero for so many women. and i can see you getting emotional right now.

going to be in this position, you know? >> reporter: for those who think they know carlson and followed her career, she may seem miscast, her viewpoints typically traditional, often conservative. then the fact she's a former physical america. >> what does that crown mean to you today? >> it's still something that i'm very proud of. >> can you understand why some people think you are an unlikely feminist? >> i know, i don't like that title. listen, i have been fighting for women my entire life. people who have known along know that about me. >> reporter: raised in minnesota, carlson was a precocious child. a violin prodigy. and a straight "a" student. she credits her mother for instilling a drive for excellence. >> i grew up thinking that i could be anything i wanted to be in this world. because my mom told me that every single night. >> reporter: her determination led her to stanford university. then in atlantic city, at 22, she wowed the crowd with her

? >> reporter: and was crowned miss america. >> miss mork, gretchen carlson! >> reporter: fresh off her win, carlson arrived in new york in the fall of 1988 for a victory lap. where her ability to hold her own was publicly put to the test by the unabashed local news fixture penny crohn. >> what is real on you, what isn't real? >> everything on me is real. >> your hair color? >> except for a few highlights. >> have you had sex yet? or are you waiting to get married? >> oh, come on. >> no comment on that. >> reporter: carlson refused to be rattled. >> it was pretty astonishing for a 22-year-old woman who had just accomplished something pretty spectacular to be faces with that kind of demeaning question. >> reporter: being bullied by the press paled in comparison to the sexual harassment carlson says she faced as she tried to break io television.

angeles. >> we were in a car and he took my head and my neck and he shoved my face into his crotch so forcefully that i couldn't breathe. >> did you blame yourself? >> i think to a certain part, yeah. you think, i must have done something. >> reporter: carlson says another incident happened at her first job in local news. after a cameraman placed a microphone under her blouse which is a routine practice. sexually suggestive comments about her breasts. >> he started asking me questions about how i felt when he had to touch my private parts. and i thought, whoa. this is not a safe conversation. >> reporter: she planned to stay silent. but then she says her news director noticed she was visibly shaken and pushed her to tell him what happened. >> i told him. when situations like that happen to women, you fear that it's going to be your fault.

>> you're going to be "that woman." >> you're going to be that woman, troublemaker. >> troublemaker, not whistle-blower. >> exactly. >> reporter: always the journalist, carlson must have noticed a tinge of familiarity mixed in with my empathy. >> i'm going to go out on a limb and ask if sexual harassment's ever happened to you. >> it has. and it's something that i think has happened to so many women and most of us say nothing. >> because look at how we react to women when they come forward. they're accused of making it up. >> do you remember the moment when you said to yourself, i'm ready and i'm prepared to take on the most powerful man in television? >> i wish i could answer that, but i can't. >> reporter: because of her landmark settlement agreement with fox news, gretchen was unable to answer any of those questions about the allegations she made after her departure. >> do you feel like you've won? >> i can't answer specifically about whether or not i won in

but -- boy, i hope i've helped other women to win. >> how important is actual evidence in proving a sexual harassment case? >> very important. because of the he said, she said. but people would be very interested to know that if they're considering trying to arm themselves with any kind of evidence, you should check what your laws are in your particular state. >> a lot of people who are dealin say, what am i supposed to do? i can't afford to lose this job. what do you say to those women? >> i say that we as a country have to come up with a solution for every single one of them. and that's what i hope to at least start the discussion on. >> reporter: this has become carlson's mission. she is now planning to testify before congress. she's creating a foundation to help empower women. and she's encouraging families to start the conversation about sexual harassment early,

own daughter kaya and son christian. >> i want my son when he gets into the workplace to respect his female colleagues in the same way that he looks at his mom. ? >> what have you told her about the challenges she may face as a woman in the workplace? >> right. i'm not talking to her about anything negative right now, i'm building her up. >> are you confident when you go into your first job after seeing what your mom's done, that you will my mom has also made it so this will happen less. but i'm confident if this happens, i will be able to speak up and do what's right. >> do you think your mom's a hero? >> yes, i do think my mom's a hero, for many women, also for many men in the world. because she's teaching them how to treat women. >> reporter: mom's sage advice seems to be rubbing off. >> she came home from school recently and said to me, mommy, i took on that challenge and i

and i did it because you did it. that's all that matters. if the only thing i accomplished was that my children would be proud of me, that would have been enough. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm amy robach in greenwich, connecticut. >> our thanks to amy. up next, another harrowing tale of sexual harassment. a woman who says roger ailes is the one w

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in the wake of roger ailes' abrupt departure from fox news, another woman who was behind the scenes at the network decided to go public. laurie loon came forward claiming she was pressured into a sexual relationship with the chairman and that it went on for decades. her story first exploded onto the pages of "new york magazine" and now she's sharing it with abc's elizabeth vargas. >> tell me first of all why you've decided to speak out. >> elizabeth, i think that i went through such hel many years, i finally felt safe when i saw that other women were speaking up. >> reporter: for decades, laurie wa one of roger ailes' closest associates. they met when she was 28 years old, working on george h.w. bush's first presidential campaign. ailes already a powerful media consultant. >> i wanted to meet him, i wanted to work for him, i was so excited. i introduced myself to him on the elevator and i think later

then acted like he'd remembered me and i was flattered. >> reporter: after the campaign ended, laurie says she was financially strapped and desperate for a job when ailes invited her for an interview with his firm. at the meeting she says he asked her questions that felt more personal than professional. >> i think he wanted to gauge what kind of a person i was. if i was insecure. if i was looking for a daddy figure. >> sussing out your vulnerabilities? >> eventually. and i was real insecure. >> reporte offered her work doing research, but according to laurie it became clear he was ined in more when he asked her to meet him at his hotel room one night. >> what did he tell you? >> he said i needed training. >> you needed training? >> i needed training. >> reporter: laurie says ailes told her to strip down to her lingerie and dance for him. feeling intimidated, she says she did as she was told. >> then what did he do? >> he would have me get down on

what you are, laurie, you're my whore, you're my sex slave. >> reporter: laurie says ailes then instructed her to perform oral sex. >> i didn't question it. that was his big thing, "don't question anything i ask you to do, laurie." >> did you try to refuse? >> it's too late, the minute it happened -- i knew that i had been blackmailed. because he did take photographs of me. he would say, this is just my little insurance policy. >> reporter: according to laurie, no aberrant incident. it would become a pattern that continued off and on for more than 20 years. laurie too afraid to tell anyone. >> he'd say, i'm your only friend, i'm the only person in the world that you can trust, you can't trust anyone else. you say that enough times to someone and -- and it's reality. >> reporter: laurie says her silence and loyalty were

positions. eventually being named the director of booking at fox news with a six-figure annual salary. but it all came at a price. >> he really let me know, i want you to show me some gratitude. >> as in? sexual? >> yes. >> gratitude? >> yes. >> it's unbelievable that it would be that overt. that, okay, you finally got this big promotion, i told you i'd take care of you, now go strip next words were, "go over to the double tree and thank me." i kept thinking it would end. >> you know people hearing this would say, why on earth would you go along with this? >> it's not like i was able to go and cry on the shoulder of some friend. i was completely isolated. >> what did you think would happen to you if you complained or tried to refuse? >> have you seen roger ailes when he's unhappy? >> no, i haven't. >> it's not a good sight to see. it's pretty scary.

when she was demoted because of talk in the company about her relationship with ailes. >> my boss bill schein sent me to a psychiatrist. for the first time in over 20 years i spoke up and it all kind of came pouring out. >> reporter: laurie says the gravity of that admission triggered a nervous breakdown, landing in the hospital. ultimately she says she knew it was time to stand up for herself. >> i counsel at fox news. >> what did you say in that letter? >> i just said that i'd been harassed the whole time i've been at fox and that i'd done my job and i received no response. so it really wasn't until i had hired a lawyer. >> reporter: within weeks of hiring that lawyer and without filing a lawsuit, laurie received a separation agreement worth more than $3 million. in 2011, after two decades of being under ailes' control, she

abc news reached out to roger ailes. he sent us this statement which reads in part, "miss lunh is someone i once regarded as a friend and person i helped for many years. the stories she is telling now are fabrications built on half-truths and outright lies." >> then why did fox pay you more than $3 million? >> because he knew that it was the truth. i wasn't lying. >> reporter: even after all she's been through, laurie admits her feelings t ailes today remain complicated. in fact, in the summer of 2015, four years after cutting off contact with ailes, she wrote him a letter. why would you write him again, last year, asking for help finding a job? >> i think that maybe the little girl looking for the daddy figure is still saying, roger, look at me, can you believe in me? and it's very sad. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm elizabeth vargas in new york.

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we hope you'll join us this sunday on "this week." martha raddatz going toe to toe with donald trump's choice of chief of staff, former republican chair reince priebus, speaking out on the controversial pick for troern general. good night, america. tgif. "the insider," tracking the biggest stories making news today. >> to have, you know, real moments of like this is what it is. like you think i wake up every day and it's so easy. no. >> number one, mimi lets us into "mariah's world" in her own