On TV sexism and why women must unite to resist it

Janice Dean is a Fox News senior meteorologist. Over the past 30 years, she has worked in morning television on and off. "Fox and Friends," the show she’s now working on, is the greatest job she’s ever had. What's the reason? Because she’s treated with dignity and is part of a team that actually cares about one another.

That was not always her experience. She arrived in New York two decades ago for what should have been the finest career decision of her life: to work with the iconic broadcaster Don Imus.

What began as a dream come true rapidly turned into a nightmare. He mistreated Janice to the level where she was anxious every time she stepped into the studio. It's one thing to be mistreated off the air, but he also took pleasure in making her feel awkward and ashamed while the mics were turned on.

There wasn't much they could do at the moment. The employers were all aware of what was going on and apologized on his behalf, but Imus had earned so much money for the corporation that the only way out was to resign. That is exactly what Janice did.

When she started seeing news about another "Don" denigrating and "screaming" at his coworkers a few months ago, that awful sensation returned.

Janice Dean was recently told that Don Lemon chose a few months ago to ask acclaimed analyst S.E. Cupp whether she had "mommy brain" after she mistakenly misquoted a statistic. As he said that, you could see S.E. wasn't sure how to respond, but she handled it like a pro.

But then, Lemon gave Don Imus a run for his money. He said Nikki Haley, 51, was "not in her prime," which is designated for women in their "twenties, thirties, and maybe forties." Poppy Harlow, his 41-year-old co-host, was visibly taken aback by this claim. "Wait, prime for what?" Lemon then backed up his assertion with facts: "Don't shoot the messenger. "Look it up on Google."

Dean wasn't the only one who was offended by Lemon's statements; there were hundreds of tweets and retweets from people of various political backgrounds, ages, and genders.

The walk-back tweet arrived a few hours later. "The reference I made to a woman’s ‘prime’ this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it. A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day."

A remark like that does not refer to the woman he was criticizing or the others he worked with. Not to mention the viewers he insulted.

So, what comes next? Lemon was not on TV the next morning, and there are allegations that his firm is upset over what transpired. But, this is not an uncommon incident. There are several examples that demonstrate this is an issue. He's not going to change, and if nothing is done, there will be more humiliating, offensive incidents.

And those like Dean, who have worked with numerous "Dons" in broadcasting, must speak up on behalf of others who are subjected to this type of abuse. But if there's one thing she’s learned in this profession and in her "peak" years, it's that she'll never be treated like that again. She wasn’t the first to quit due to the terrible actions of others. Women like her should call it out, report it, and continue on their path without fear or favor.