Ex-Fox News host Courtney Friel claims Trump invited her to his office to 'kiss' before he became president
Donald Trump, before he was elected president, asked former Fox News reporter Courtney Friel to kiss him while they were both married, Friel claims in her upcoming book 'Tonight At 10: Kicking Booze and Breaking News'.
The 39-year-old didn't specify when the alleged proposition occurred, the New York Daily News reports. According to the Daily Mail, the incident would most likely have taken place between 2007 and 2013, the years during which Friel was employed at Fox News.
Friel also reportedly claimed that Roger Ailes, the late CEO and chairman of Fox News, once told her she was "the hottest one" at the network.
Friel's book narrates how she had expressed an interest in being a judge for the Miss USA beauty pageant, which was owned by Trump from 1996 until 2015 and aired on NBC.
Trump allegedly called Friel's office line and "Though he said I couldn't be a judge since I worked at a different network, he did ask me about my career goals and complimented my work at FNC," Friel wrote in her memoir, according to the New York Daily News.
"Then, out of nowhere, he said: 'You should come up to my office sometime, so we can kiss.'"
Friel was reportedly appalled by the real estate mogul's request. "'Donald,' I responded, 'I believe we're both married.' I quickly ended the call," Friel wrote.
She then went on to say, "This proposition made it difficult for me to report with a straight face on Trump running for president. It infuriated me that he would call all the women who shared stories of his bold advances liars. I totally believe them."
She also added: "At least now I can joke that I could have banged the President, but I passed."
Friel worked at Fox News for six years, both in New York and Los Angeles. She was sometimes featured as a fill-in host on the morning show 'Fox & Friends'. She joined the Los Angeles station KTLA in 2013, according to her bio on KTLA's website.
Friel was married to CBS News Los Angeles reporter Carter Evans between 2005 and 2016. Evans and Friel have two children together. After their separation, Evans subsequently married Friel's KTLA colleague Lauren Lyster in 2018.
During the time of the alleged incident, Trump would have been married to his current wife Melania Trump.
Friel is hardly the only woman to have accused the current president of sexual misconduct. At least 25 women have reported their own alleged experiences dating back to the 1970s.
The White House and the president have categorically denied all claims.