Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson (born June 21, 1966) is an American television commentator and author and the chairwoman of the Miss America board of directors. Carlson was crowned the 1989 Miss America while representing her native state of Minnesota. She graduated from Stanford University with honors before embarking on a career in television. Gaining experience as anchor and reporter for several local network affiliates, she joined CBS News as a correspondent in 2000 and became the co-host of the Saturday edition of The Early Show. In 2005, she moved to Fox News Channel and became the co-host of the morning show Fox & Friends along with Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade. In 2013, she announced her departure from Fox & Friends and soon thereafter launched a new program called The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson. Her autobiography, Getting Real, was published in 2015 by Viking.\n', '

Her contract with Fox News expired on June 23, 2016. On July 6, she filed a lawsuit against then Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes claiming sexual harassment. Subsequently, dozens of other women also stepped forward to accuse Ailes of harassment, and Ailes was forced to resign under pressure. In September 2016, Carlson and 21st Century Fox Corporation (Fox News\' parent corporation) settled the lawsuit for $20 million.\n', '

Carlson was raised in a Lutheran family in Anoka, Minnesota, the daughter of Karen Barbara (Hyllengren) and Lee Roy Carlson. She is of Swedish descent. Her father owned a car dealership with her uncle. She has two brothers and one sister. Her grandfather was the pastor of the then second-largest Lutheran church in the United States. She graduated from Anoka-Hennepin School District 11\'s Anoka High School, where she was a 1984 class valedictorian. One of her childhood nannies was Michele Bachmann, the future Republican congresswoman.\n', '

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