Former television anchor alleges unequal treatment and retaliation at station.
Taryn Asher, a former female Detroit anchor at Fox 2, has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer alleging years of sex discrimination and retaliation. Asher is claiming she was treated unfairly because of her gender and later lost her job after speaking out about the issue.
Asher spent nearly two decades at the station after joining in 2007. During her career, she became one of the station’s best-known personalities and was promoted to lead anchor in 2022. She remained a prominent part of the evening news team until late 2025, when events described in the lawsuit led to her departure from the station.
According to court filings, concerns began to grow during the summer of 2025 following leadership changes within the organization. The lawsuit states that Asher observed female leaders leaving their positions and being replaced by men. Around the same period, she allegedly noticed differences in how management handled assignments involving her and co-anchor Roop Raj. The complaint claims Raj was receiving more guest interview opportunities and greater visibility during special segments. Asher alleges that discussions involving those assignments sometimes occurred without her knowledge participation and that opportunities were not distributed equally.
Seeking answers, Asher reportedly met with newsroom leaders in September 2025. During those discussions, she raised concerns about what she viewed as unequal treatment and requested the same opportunities being provided to her colleague. The lawsuit states that she wanted both anchors to receive similar assignments and professional consideration. One topic discussed during those meetings involved the possible expansion of ‘Let It Rip,’ a program focused on news and public affairs. Management allegedly considered bringing the show back on a more frequent basis and discussed the possibility of Asher serving as host. According to the lawsuit, she welcomed the opportunity and expected adjustments would be made to her schedule to accommodate the added responsibility.
Later conversations reportedly involved plans to remove her from anchoring a Friday evening newscast if she took on the program. The lawsuit claims this arrangement would have mirrored accommodations already provided to Raj for his own show, ‘The Pulse.’ However, Asher alleges she was later informed that the scheduling adjustment would not be approved.
The dispute reached a turning point during election coverage on November 4, 2025. According to the complaint, guest interview segments scheduled during the station’s evening broadcasts had previously been expected to be shared between the two anchors. Instead, Raj was assigned all of those interviews. Asher reportedly questioned the decision and discussed the matter with several producers. The next day, she was informed that she was being placed on leave while the station reviewed complaints regarding her conduct. The lawsuit states that management cited allegations connected to her communications with staff members during election night coverage.
Several weeks later, the former female Detroit anchor received a phone call informing her that her employment was ending. According to the lawsuit, she was not given a formal termination letter at that time. The complaint also states that a union attorney later contacted station representatives on her behalf. While she stopped appearing on air in November 2025, the station reportedly informed her that her employment would officially come to an end in June 2026.
In March 2026, Asher filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before moving forward with the lawsuit. The legal action claims she experienced discrimination because of her gender and retaliation after voicing concerns about workplace treatment. Fox 2 had not publicly responded to the allegations when details of the lawsuit became public. The claims remain allegations, and no court has yet ruled on the case.
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Ex-anchor Taryn Asher files lawsuit against Fox 2 for gender discrimination
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