Shortly after Fox News announced on Saturday the suspension of Eric Bolling, one of his accusers went public to tell her version of the story. Caroline Heldman, an extreme left-wing activist who is perhaps best known for holding up a sign at Donald Trump's inauguration accusing him of being a rapist, posted a statement on Facebook alleging that Bolling made repeated "unsolicited sexual advances" toward her during her brief stint as a Fox News contributor.
Heldman, who is also a professor at Occidental College, claimed in a lengthy Facebook rant on August 5 that Bolling offered to fly her to New York and take her out to dinner during her tenure as a guest contributor on the network from 2008 to 2011. Heldman stated that Bolling once gave her a tour of his office, showed her his baseball jerseys and revealed to her that he enjoys having sex in his office.
Bolling's legal team has denied the accusations.
Heldman claims she was traumatized by 'Dr. McHottie' label
In her Facebook statement, Heldman also refers to a handful of uncomfortable incidents that were caught on camera.
On four different occasions, Bolling referred to Heldman as "Dr. McHottie" on-air. Heldman claims that those comments caused "grave concern" to her friends and family. She admits that Bolling later contacted her to apologize for his on-air comments.
Heldman goes on to state that Eric Bolling was one of three individuals who sexually harassed her at Fox News. She identified the other two as former host Bill O'Reilly and producer Woody Fraser.
Claims producer stole her show idea
In her Facebook statement from August 5, Heldman also accuses Fraser of "stealing" her idea for an ensemble news commentary show that would later become the Fox News staple, "The Five".
"I emailed Fraser a treatment that is remarkably similar to The Five, right down to some of the hosts, a year before The Five aired," wrote Heldman, adding that Fraser offered her a hosting gig in exchange for sex.
She claims that she was no longer invited back as a contributor after she rejected the producer's advances.
While Huffington Post reported that Bolling allegedly sent photos of his genitalia to two female colleagues, Heldman did not address that particular detail in her Facebook statement.
Meanwhile, several Fox-friendly media outlets are questioning the accuser's sincerity, pointing out her track record of liberal activism.
Big League Politics, a right-wing political website, responded to Heldman's accusations by posting examples of several controversial tweets Heldman has posted. In one of Heldman's tweets, she is shown wearing a pink, crocheted "pussyhat" at the presidential inauguration while holding up a sign proclaiming "Good people don't vote for rapists".