Sarah Palin suggests women should leave if they're facing harassment in the workplace — not 'stick around for a paycheck'

A largely unflattering story in Vanity Fair about Sarah Palin exposed that she has a very hot temper.

(Image credit: Getty)

published 20 April 2017

A day after Bill O'Reilly was fired from Fox News, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) dished out some advice to women facing workplace harassment during an interview Thursday with CNN's Jake Tapper. "Women don't deserve it. They should not ever have to put up with any kind of intimidating workspace," said Palin, a former Fox News contributor. "At the same time, if a woman believes she is being intimidated and harassed, she needs to stand up and do something about it, not stick around for a paycheck for years and years and years and then after the fact complain about what she went through."

Palin said that personally, "as a strong woman," she would encourage women to "feel more empowered" and "take a stand and get out of the place. Or, you know, blow the whistle on whoever is the perpetrator doing the bad stuff so that the culture will change." She did note that "corporate culture" at Fox News "obviously has to change." Palin, whose contract with the network was not renewed in June 2015, has said she was let go after she "called somebody out."

At least one of the five women who accused O'Reilly of sexual harassment and verbal abuse over the years did call the company's hotline to report the incident. Though Fox News and O'Reilly paid his accusers roughly $13 million in settlements over the last decade, O'Reilly was not fired until this week, after multiple advertisers jumped ship when the allegations became public earlier this month.