Longtime ‘GMA’ co-host Joan Lunden alleges she was sexually harassed early in career at NY station
Longtime "Good Morning America" co-host Joan Lunden alleges in a new memoir that she was sexually harassed early in her career at New York's WABC-TV "Eyewitness News."
Lunden, who co-hosted "GMA from 1980 to 1997, penned, "Joan: Life Beyond the Script," that recounts her time at WABC, which she joined in 1975. She detailed an unsettling encounter with a colleague she refers to as "Ted," who invited her to a gathering on New York’s Fire Island.
"'You should come along, Joan,' said Ted. 'It will be a good opportunity for you to socialize with the rest of the team,'" she wrote in the book, according to an excerpt published by People.
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Lunden wrote that when she arrived at the Fire Island home, the only people present were "Ted" and another couple.
"I was embarrassed that I’d been so naive as to let this situation unfold, and I was offended as a woman that a guy — my superior at work — thought he could get away with this! He assumed that I would just go along with it," Lunden wrote, according to People.
"I was also scared because it felt like there was no way out. It was evening and the sky was getting darker by the minute. You can’t just walk outside a home on Fire Island and hail a cab to take you back to your apartment," she continued. "'Ted, you know this is not what I signed up for,' I said, trying to be strong but not too offensive, since he was my boss. I was praying he would say 'Oops, my bad, I’m sorry, let me take you back home.' Instead, he tried to be charming and make light of it. 'Look, maybe the original plan fell through, but we’re all here, so let’s just enjoy ourselves.'"
The morning TV icon said that "Ted" urged her to stick around and even pressured her to sleep in the same bedroom as him, but she opted for the living room couch instead. Lunden said that when she returned to work the following week, "Ted" began treating her differently.
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"Ted started killing my stories—meaning he kept my stories from making the show lineup for one reason or another ... I felt vulnerable and helpless. Not only that, but my reputation also took a hit because a) it had become known that I went to Fire Island with my immediate superior, and b) it was obvious to everyone that my stories weren’t making air," she wrote, according to People.
Lunden added that reporters earned less money if their stories didn’t make it to air, and things finally shifted when she directly confronted him.
Lunden said she confronted him over his treatment of her and her stories, adding she was prepared to sue him and win.
Lunden added that the confrontation "got his attention" and she could tell by the look on his face the message was heard loud and clear.
"Before he even had a chance to respond, I closed with, 'Against my lawyer’s advice, I’m going to give you one chance, today, to rectify this situation. It’s not because you deserve it; it’s only to avoid the legal process. But hear me: If I detect even a whiff that this is still happening, I promise you I will tell the lawyers to go ahead and file the suit they have prepared,’" she wrote. "I felt vindicated… I hope he’s reading this."
WABC-TV did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.