A video of fired Fox 2 Detroit anchor Taryn Asher calling a co-worker an expletive spread online this week while she fights the station in federal court over her firing. The site Deadline Detroit posted the footage Saturday. It was shot in 2023, two years before Fox 2 took Asher off the air.
TMZ reposted the clip Tuesday morning, according to the trade site The Desk. TMZ and WJBK-TV are both owned by Fox. Asher anchored Fox 2’s 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts. She sued the station in June, saying it treated her worse than her male co-anchor and fired her after she complained. Fox says it fired her for cause.
What the Video Shows
Asher was taping a promotional spot in the station’s Southfield studio when a co-worker walked in to ask about a script, The Desk reported. The two talked over each other. Most of what the co-worker said is inaudible. As the co-worker left, Asher told her she was walking out angry.
Then Asher said under her breath, “B—-.” She told a crew member she was tired of the co-worker’s behavior and said the co-worker reported her to managers constantly. Another staffer asked what was going on.
The Co-worker and the Script
Two people familiar with the incident told The Desk the co-worker was Traci Kryscynski, the station’s executive producer for news. She also goes by Traci Ditchie. Kryscynski could not edit a reporter’s script because Asher’s computer had the file open, those sources said. She went to the studio to ask why.
What the Station did in 2023
Someone who was involved complained to station executives, and Fox 2 investigated, The Desk reported. Asher got a warning and a notice of suspension in December 2023, according to local reports cited by TheWrap. She kept her job.
Note: Verification Status
- The video is public. The name of the co-worker comes from two unnamed sources cited by The Desk. Fox 2 and Asher’s attorney have not confirmed it.
- Fox Television Stations and WJBK-TV had not answered requests for comment as of publication, according to The Desk.
- The case is active. The two sides dispute the firing date and the non-compete. Check the docket before air.
The Lawsuit
Asher’s claims
Asher filed a 26-page complaint June 3 in U.S. District Court in Detroit. It names Fox Television Stations LLC and New World Communications of Detroit, which operates WJBK-TV. She claims sex discrimination and retaliation under federal and Michigan civil rights laws. Paul McGonagle became general manager in July 2025.
After that, the complaint says, Asher saw women in leadership jobs replaced by men. It says her co-anchor, Roop Raj, got more guest interviews and more flexibility with his schedule. Asher says she raised those concerns with managers. Fox 2 put her on paid leave Nov. 5, 2025, and told her Nov. 21 that she would not return.
Her lawyers also say the station disciplined her more harshly than it disciplined men. They point to male employees accused of misconduct at work and outside it who kept their jobs. Asher wants lost pay and benefits, damages for emotional distress and harm to her reputation, punitive damages and attorney fees.
Her attorney, Tad Roumayah of Sommers Schwartz, said the video shows one moment from years ago that the station handled at the time. He said the clip “is taken out of context and does not tell the full story.”
Fox’s response
Fox and WJBK said in an Aug. 14 filing that they fired Asher for cause, citing “unprofessional workplace behavior and outbursts.” The filing says she shouted at employees about the order of guest interviews, swore at co-workers and confronted a staffer she believed had complained about her. Fox agreed that Asher raised concerns in November 2025 about being treated worse than Raj. It denied that she was treated worse and denied that it retaliated.
The filing also asks the judge to order Asher to return a company laptop and seeks damages over her refusal. Roumayah said he offered ways to return the computer while protecting attorney-client material, and that Fox’s lawyers turned him down.
The Disputed Firing Date
Asher’s contract has a six-month non-compete clause, so the date of her firing decides when she can work for another Detroit station. Asher says the station fired her Nov. 21, 2025, when it took away her anchor duties. That would have freed her in May.
Fox says it kept paying her and covering her benefits after she left the air, and that her employment ended in 2026. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a right-to-sue notice May 11. Fox sent a termination letter May 28 saying her employment would end in early June, according to the complaint.
Asher filed an amended complaint July 2 asking U.S. District Judge Linda Parker to rule that the non-compete has expired. Her agent, Mort Meisner, told The Detroit News in July that he had talked with other broadcasters in the market and that Asher did not have an offer. If the judge agrees with Fox, she cannot join a rival station until late 2026.
Background
Asher grew up in Fenton, Michigan, and graduated from Michigan State University in 1997. She worked at WJRT-TV in Flint for seven years and joined Fox 2 in 2007. The station named her co-anchor with Raj in 2022, after Huel Perkins and Monica Gayle retired.
Asher first mentioned her absence in February, when she posted on social media that she was working through a work matter. Her attorney confirmed the firing in April.
Case Status
The case is pending in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The judge has not ruled on the non-compete. No trial date has been set. Fox has not commented outside its court filings.
Sources
The Desk, “Video of Fox anchor Taryn Asher cursing out colleague surfaces after firing, lawsuit,” Aug. 18, 2026
The Detroit News, “Fired Fox 2 anchor Taryn Asher calls co-worker expletive on camera,” Aug. 18, 2026
Deadline Detroit, “Fox 2 Accuses Fired Anchor Taryn Asher of ‘Unprofessional Workplace Behavior and Outbursts,’” Aug. 15, 2026
The Detroit News, “FOX 2 claims anchor Taryn Asher fired for ‘outbursts’ in lawsuit filing,” Aug. 16, 2026
TheWrap, “Fox Anchor Fired for ‘Outbursts’ Caught Cursing Out Boss in Leaked Newsroom Video,” Aug. 18, 2026
Deadline Detroit, “Fired Fox 2 Anchor Taryn Asher Files Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Against Station,” June 3, 2026
ClickOnDetroit (WDIV), “Fired Fox 2 anchor Taryn Asher files discrimination lawsuit against former employer,” June 3, 2026
Detroit Metro Times, “Fired Fox 2 anchor Taryn Asher sues station over sex discrimination and retaliation,” June 3, 2026
The Detroit News, “Fired Fox 2 Detroit anchor Taryn Asher files new sex discrimination suit,” July 2, 2026
Deadline Detroit, “Absent Fox 2 Anchor Taryn Asher Says She’s ‘Working Through Unexpected Work-Related Matter,’” Feb. 2026
Court filing — Fox Television Stations’ response to Asher’s complaint (PDF, hosted by The Desk)
