Joan Lunden Exposes Early Career Harassment in Revealing New Memoir
Legendary television host Joan Lunden has made a startling revelation about her formative years in broadcasting, detailing a distressing episode of workplace harassment that occurred early in her career. The 75-year-old media personality, best known for her long tenure on Good Morning America, recounts in her new memoir how a superior romantically propositioned her and then punished her professionally when she declined his advances.
The Fire Island Incident
In her book Joan: Life Beyond the Script, Lunden describes joining New York's WABC-TV Eyewitness News in 1975, where she co-anchored weekend newscasts. During this period, she worked with a colleague she pseudonymously calls 'Ted,' who helped edit her stories. The situation took an uncomfortable turn when Ted invited her to socialize with the team on Fire Island, off Long Island, New York.
"You should come along, Joan," Ted said, according to Lunden's account via People. "It will be a good opportunity for you to socialize with the rest of the team." Initially hesitant due to lacking close friendships in the newsroom, Lunden eventually agreed, intrigued by visiting the car-free island accessible only by ferry.
Upon arrival, however, she discovered only two other guests—a local WCBS reporter and his girlfriend—realizing this was actually an orchestrated double-date scenario. Lunden admits feeling embarrassed, naive, and offended that her superior believed he could deceive her in this manner.
The Uncomfortable Night and Professional Retaliation
Feeling trapped as darkness fell with no easy transportation back to her apartment, Lunden confronted Ted, stating this was "not what I signed up for." Despite his attempts to charm her into staying, she resisted pressure to share a bedroom, instead sleeping on an uncomfortable sofa and departing first thing in the morning.
The awkwardness intensified when she returned to work on Monday. "I was about to find out that hell hath no fury like a man scorned," Lunden writes. Ted began systematically rejecting her stories, preventing them from airing under various pretexts. This professional sabotage not only made her feel vulnerable and helpless but also damaged her reputation, as colleagues noticed both her Fire Island trip with Ted and her disappearing segments.
The financial impact was significant, as television reporters at the time received additional compensation for each aired story. Lunden's income suffered considerably during this period of retaliation.
Confrontation and Resolution
After enduring this treatment for several months, Lunden finally confronted Ted directly. "This has to stop. Now," she told him. "I'm not putting up with it another day. We both know you're keeping my stories off the air for no valid reason... It's pure revenge on your part, and it happens to be discriminatory, not to mention you're affecting my income."
She revealed she had consulted with her agent and lawyer about filing a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against both Ted and WABC-TV, confident she would prevail. While giving him one final chance to rectify the situation to avoid legal proceedings, she made clear any continuation would trigger immediate legal action.
This bold confrontation finally changed Ted's behavior, vindicating Lunden and allowing her to move forward with her career.
From Adversity to National Stardom
Despite this early career setback, Lunden's talent and determination propelled her to national prominence. In 1979, she became co-anchor of Good Morning America, where she spent nearly two decades alongside David Hartman and Charlie Gibson until 1997. Since then, she has served as a special correspondent for NBC's Today and currently hosts the public television program Second Opinion.
The media icon has authored over ten books since 1986 and publicly shared her breast cancer diagnosis in 2014, completing treatment the following year. Her latest memoir, Joan: Life Beyond the Script, releases on March 3, offering this candid look at the challenges she overcame early in her groundbreaking career.
