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Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson on Wednesday filed a sexual harassment suit against network chairman Roger Ailes, claiming that he made unwanted advances at her and retaliated when he was rebuffed.

Ms. Carlson, who had been with the cable network since 2005 and was host of the afternoon program "The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson," departed Fox News after her contract wasn't renewed on June 23, according to the complaint, which was filed in Superior Court of New Jersey.

A Fox News spokeswoman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

The complaint alleges that Mr. Ailes injected sexual comments and innuendo into their conversations, made lewd comments about her body, and made sexual advances that Ms. Carlson rebuffed.

For her refusal to engage in a sexual relationship with Mr. Ailes or "participate in sexual banter" with him, the network boss retaliated by taking away high-profile assignments, reducing her compensation, refusing to give her marketing support similar to other hosts and, ultimately, by "terminating her employment," the complaint alleges.

"I have strived to empower women and girls throughout my entire career," Ms. Carlson said in a statement. "Although this was a difficult step to take, I had to stand up for myself and speak out for all women and the next generation of women in the workplace. I am extremely proud of my accomplishments at Fox News and for keeping our loyal viewers engaged and informed on events and news topics of the day."

Fox News-parent 21st Century Fox and Wall Street Journal-owner News Corp were part of the same company until mid-2013.

Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 06, 2016 13:15 ET (17:15 GMT)

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