DETROIT — Fired Fox 2 Detroit news anchor Taryn Asher sued the TV station in federal court Wednesday, alleging she was subjected to illegal retaliation after reporting and complaining about Fox's discriminatory conduct.

The lawsuit offers a gossipy, behind-the-scenes look at life inside a big city TV station, portraying WJBK-TV (Channel 2)'s Southfield studio as a den of intrigue with big egos, backstabbing and favoritism that pitted Asher against a colleague, anchor Roop Raj.

In the 26-page lawsuit, which lists as defendants Los Angeles-based Fox Television Stations, LLC and New World Communications of Detroit d/b/a WJBK-TV, Asher wants a money judgment for lost past and future wages, lost benefits, mental and emotional distress damages, loss of professional reputation and esteem, as well as punitive damages including costs and attorneys' fees.

Several allegations involve the channel's show "Let It Rip" and favoritism given to Raj following the hire of Paul McGonagle as the station's new general manager in July 2025.

"Around the time of Mr. McGonagle’s hiring, Asher noticed an alarming pattern of female employees in leadership positions being terminated and replaced by men and, further, noticed that Fox treated Asher's male counterpart and co-anchor, Roop Raj, more favorably than her by, among other things, providing Mr. Raj with more guest interview segment opportunities on the evening news than Asher," her lawyer, Tad Roumayah, wrote in the lawsuit.

Raj and McGonagle did not respond immediately to messages from The Detroit News seeking comment Wednesday.

Asher 'did not want to be treated worse than her male counterpart'

Asher says she met with McGonagle in September seeking equal treatment with Raj.

Her boss raised the possibility of reviving the show “Let it Rip” with Asher as host.

The next month, Asher was part of a meeting to plan coverage of that fall’s elections. She identified four potential guests to interview and Raj identified two and the plan was to share the work of approaching each potential guest, the lawsuit alleges.

“Nevertheless ... Asher learned that Mr. Raj had unilaterally decided to reach out to five of the six potential interviewees himself,” the lawsuit reads. “Thereafter, Mr. Raj and other Fox employees repeatedly excluded Asher from relevant communications regarding guest interviews and scheduling related to the election coverage in November 2025.”

Raj eventually was assigned more interviews than Asher, according to the lawsuit.

In late October, News Director Brooks Blanton told Asher she would be required to continue anchoring the Friday evening news while handling additional responsibilities for “Let It Rip,” she alleged.

Asher alleges she received that treatment even though Raj’s schedule had been adjusted to accommodate his duties associated with hosting another show, "The Pulse."

“Mr. Blanton refused to provide any further explanation (other than Mr. McGonagle’s directive) for the sudden refusal to treat Asher and Mr. Raj ‘equally’ by providing them with similar schedule adjustments for hosting their respective shows,” the lawyer wrote.

Meanwhile, Raj continued to be assigned most of the guest-segment interviews for the evening news, including one that Asher had booked, the lawsuit alleged.

“Asher explained that she did not want to be treated worse than her male counterpart, similar to how past female news anchors at Fox had been treated,” her lawyer wrote.

Asher also texted Raj to emphasize she was not frustrated or upset with him but was disappointed with Fox’s unequal treatment based on her sex.

“I know the feeling of being treated differently than other coworkers, as that has happened to me in the past, not because of gender, but because of other issues,” Raj wrote, according to the lawsuit. “And I know it’s important to feel like you have an even [and] equal shot. And I know that that’s what you’re going to get because you won’t have it any other way and I don’t blame you.”

That collegiality would not last, the lawsuit alleged.

After sharing her concerns with McGonagle, the boss said Fox was putting “Let It Rip” on hold, the lawsuit alleged.

The dispute intensified Nov. 4 when Asher arrived at work. That is when she learned Raj had been assigned all of the guest-segment interviews involving election coverage.

“Significantly, Asher had previously agreed with Mr. Raj and the rest of the evening news department that the guest-segment interviews would be divided equally between her and Mr. Raj,” her lawyer wrote.

Then, Asher met with Raj.

“Mr. Raj refused to acknowledge his repeated circumvention of Asher’s role and responsibilities,” according to the lawsuit.

Asher was placed on leave the next day pending an investigation into “egregious behavior,” based on her conduct on election night, the lawsuit reads.

Blanton and a colleague also “claimed that Asher appeared ‘upset’ on-air after a production error during the election broadcast, her lawyer wrote.

“... On or about November 5, Mr. Raj contacted Fox’s human resources department, offensively labeled Asher as ‘jealous,’ and grossly mischaracterized Asher’s complaints of sex-based discrimination as Asher [having] an issue with men vs. women,’” the lawsuit alleges.

Days later, on Nov. 21, Asher was told she was being fired and that the termination was based on accusations she had engaged in “outbursts.”

“Significantly, at no time did Asher engage in ‘outbursts’ or engage in unprofessional conduct warranting disciplinary action or termination,” her lawyer wrote.

Fox has since informed Asher she was not fired but her employment would end in June and that officials would not renew her employment agreement, according to the court filing.

That treatment clashed with how the station treated other colleagues who were allowed to return to work after drunk-driving arrests and other misconduct.

Suit follows federal complaint

The lawsuit was filed three months after Asher filed a complaint against the station with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging gender discrimination. The complaint was signed on March 16 and indicated she was on an indefinite suspension at that point. Her attorney said she had been fired in November.

The 50-year-old Birmingham resident worked at Fox 2 for 18 years, most recently as an anchor for the station's evening news broadcasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The EEOC complaint alleged Fox subjected Asher to less-favorable treatment than male colleagues who received more job opportunities, desirable assignments, and a more favorable and accommodating schedule.

On multiple occasions, Asher complained to Fox verbally and in writing, outlining the alleged disparate treatment, according to the EEOC complaint. In response, Fox allegedly retaliated and reduced her responsibilities in comparison to her male colleagues by "erroneously accusing her of unprofessional conduct, and by subjecting Ms. Asher to a baseless 'investigation,'" according to the complaint.

Matt Turner, Asher's attorney, previously told The News that Fox told his client she was fired in November because of her behavior in the newsroom.

In February, Asher wrote on social media that she was "working through an unexpected work-related matter."

She also said at the time that she was in the process of finalizing her divorce from former TV news personality Jason Carr. Asher and Carr met while they were both at the ABC affiliate in Flint. They were married in 2007 and have a daughter together.

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.