Elizabeth Jean Carroll got her life "back" last Tuesday. At least, that and "clearing her name" were the reasons the Detroit writer and columnist sued Donald Trump for defamation for denying that he sexually abused and assaulted her. The former president repeatedly accused the former ELLE contributor of lying to promote her books. But... did Carroll really need additional publicity by convicting Trump?
Carroll began attracting attention at a very young age. Although she was born in Detroit in 1943, she grew up in Indiana. At the age of 20 she was appointed Miss Indiana University and, a year later, she was named Miss Cheerleader of the USA. On her substack, the journalist gives a brief summary of her life and career, highlighting her work as an entertainer and her work with prestigious print and television media.
I was raised in this red brick schoolhouse, in Dutch Ridge, Indiana. I grew up to be a cheerleader who happened to go on to write for Saturday Night Live, have a TV show called (what else?) Ask E. Jean, write five books, including the biography of Hunter S. Thompson and the current book, What Do We Need Men For? and skip around the world writing for Esquire, Outside, Elle, The Atlantic and Vanity Fair.
Hello! Hello! Twitter friends! Join me on NOTES! Many journalists, wise asses, & comics you follow are here---and it's a GAS!https://t.co/XVclvz2AZl pic.twitter.com/mgU8kiOIWh
— E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) April 12, 2023
A cheerleader with the soul of a journalist
In an interview with USA Today, Carroll recalled submitting article proposals to magazines as early as age 12. Her dream came true years later when she began working with different magazines such as Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic and even Playboy, where she became the first female writer. She also worked for Saturday Night Live on television.
However, without a doubt, her best-known work is her column Ask E. Jean at ELLE. Carroll interacted with the magazine's readers on a regular basis for 26 years. The name of the column became the trademark of the journalist. She even named her talk show and blogs after her magazine column.
She reported Trump 23 years after the fact
Carroll claims she lost her job as a result of her confrontation with Trump. In 2019, when Trump was already president, the writer published her book Why Do We Need Men? In it, she spoke for the first time about Trump assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room in 1996. The book, and a preview in New York magazine, created a stir at a time when the former president was preparing for his 2020 reelection campaign.
Trump issued a very harsh statement claiming that he never even met Carroll and accused her of lying because "she is trying to sell a new book." He went as far as to ask if anyone knows if "the Democratic Party is working with Ms. Carroll." Although the writer did not go to the police when the events occurred, she took advantage of the fact that the state of New York temporarily allowed victims of former sex crimes to report the facts. She stated in her book, "I'm a coward." Following Trump's statements, the journalist filed a defamation lawsuit. The writer published in her book's forward a photo from 1987 that shows Trump and Carroll together with their then-spouses.
Guess who is together in this photo? Trump and E jean Carroll pic.twitter.com/WxymmY5c7w
— momof3 (@momof351929068) May 10, 2023
She accused Trump of causing her to lose her job at 'ELLE'
In addition, Carroll lost her job with ELLE. According to the writer, it was due to her confrontation with the then-president:
Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me. I don't blame Elle. It was the great honor of my life writing the 'Ask E. Jean'. I blame Donald Trump.
Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me. I don't blame Elle. It was the great honor of my life writing "Ask E. Jean." I blame @realdonaldtrump.https://t.co/vYIVL6yDIp
— E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) February 18, 2020
After years of litigation, a New York jury found Trump guilty of sexual assault and defamation charges. He now has to pay her $5 million in damages.
