Gretchen Carlson on 'Immense Progress' 5 Years After Roger Ailes Suit: 'Women Are Being Believed'

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Gretchen Carlson is reflecting on her major lawsuit against Fox News chairman Roger Ailes five years later, highlighting the strides made in squashing sexual harassment in the workplace.

After leaving Fox News, Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment on July 6, 2016, eventually reaching a $20 million settlement and receiving an apology from the company, though a non-disclosure agreement bars her from detailing specifics of her treatment while employed by the network. (Ailes resigned from Fox News in July 2016 following accusations from six additional women and died the following year at age 77.)

Carlson's speaking out and taking legal action against an industry titan helped pioneer the #MeToo movement, and five years later, she is pointing out the significant progress made.

"We are far from our goal of equality, but the world seems a bit brighter 5 years later," Carlson, a PEOPLE (The TV Show!) contributor, wrote in part on Instagram Tuesday. "When it comes down to it, women are being believed, predators are facing consequences and lawmakers are paying attention. (Stay tuned soon for more on that!) I will continue to fight on everyone's behalf until this work is done. Thank you for being a part of this journey."

She spoke further about the anniversary, telling Variety that the "effects of the lawsuit were seismic."

"Cultural shifts take a tremendous amount of time. But in five years, we've made immense progress. First of all, women are being believed. Perpetrators are being held accountable. They're not able to just hide behind a denial," Carlson, 55, said. "They're actually in many cases being fired. And payouts to predators are stopping."

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Listing some of the major factors that helped highlight the issue of sexual harassment, Carlson told Variety that journalists and social media played a big part — plus "the American public was p----d off ... they started hearing about these stories, and they were like, 'What the hell? We haven't solved this yet?' "

"I mean, women knew what was happening. It comes full circle, because why didn't the American public know about it? Because everything was going into secrecy in arbitration and NDAs," explained Carlson, who has become an advocate for workplace equality and ending workplace sexual harassment. "When you get rid of that, you can't hide it anymore."

Carlson also addressed her situation being dramatized on TV and in movies. She was portrayed by Nicole Kidman in 2019's Bombshell, and in Showtime's limited series The Loudest Voice — for which Naomi Watts played her — though Carlson wasn't allowed to consult on either project due to her NDA.

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"Obviously, it was surreal for me to watch it on the screen, my story playing out. And having these amazing actresses who decided to take on these roles. I've had to look at it from the positive point of view: Five years ago, this movie, the miniseries would not have been made because nobody gave a flying you-know-what about sexual harassment in the workplace," the mother of two said.

"I can't tell you how many people have reached out to me, saying that they saw either The Loudest Voice or Bombshell or both, and they share their stories with me, they say, 'Thank you for the courage. Thank you for kicking this whole thing off,' " she added. "I hear from men and women."