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.
Sexual harassment lawsuit and settlement
On the morning of July 6, 2016, Carlson confirmed on her Twitter account that she was no longer with Fox News. That day, she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chairman Roger Ailes in the Superior Court of New Jersey. In her complaint, Carlson alleged that she was fired from her program for refusing Ailes' sexual advances.  Carlson's allegations received widespread media coverage. After Carlson came forward, six more women spoke to Gabriel Sherman of New York magazine, alleging that Ailes had sexually harassed them and that Ailes had "spoke openly of expecting women to perform sexual favors in exchange for job opportunities." Shortly thereafter, Carlson sat down for an interview with John Koblin of The New York Times, saying, "I wanted to stand up for other women who maybe faced similar circumstances."  As the case progressed, Carlson reached out directly to her fans, thanking them in a series of Twitter videos and offering her support for fellow victims of sexual harassment. She also criticized Fox's attempt to force her claims to be adjudicated via closed-door mandatory arbitration rather than in court. (Fox filed court papers arguing that Carlson was compelled by her contract to adjudicate her claims in arbitration). Carlson said: "Forcing victims of sexual harassment into secret arbitration proceedings is wrong, because it means nobody finds out what really happened."  Facing overwhelming public criticism, Ailes resigned on July 21, 2016. In an interview with Margaret Sullivan of The Washington Post, Carlson said she felt "relief that now I would be believed," though she also "felt angry that it took so long" for Ailes to step down.  On September 6, 2016, 21st Century Fox Corporation (the parent company of Fox News) announced that it had settled the lawsuit with Carlson. The settlement was reportedly $20 million. As part of the settlement, 21st Century Fox apologized to Carlson, saying that "We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve."

Q: who was the sexual harassment lawsuit against?
A: she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chairman Roger Ailes in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Q: what year was the lawsuit?
A: July 6, 2016,

Q: did anyone act as a witness for her?
A: After Carlson came forward, six more women spoke to Gabriel Sherman of New York magazine, alleging that Ailes had sexually harassed them

Q: which six women also accused him?
A: unknown

Q: how long did the lawsuit go on?
A: Facing overwhelming public criticism, Ailes resigned on July 21, 2016.
did the lawsuit go to trial?
On September 6, 2016, 21st Century Fox Corporation (the parent company of Fox News) announced that it had settled the lawsuit with Carlson.
On September 6, 2016, 21st Century Fox Corporation (the parent company of Fox News) announced that it had settled the lawsuit with Carlson.