Gretchen Carlson and Roger Ailes. Photos: Getty Images

According to Vanity Fair, the settlement over Gretchen Carlson’s sexual harassment lawsuit against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes will likely end up in the “eight figures” range due to concerns at Fox that audio tapes of Ailes speaking to “multiple women” could become part of a public trial.

“If they litigate the case, all the tapes will become public, directly and through others,” one source told the magazine. “Then you will have a parade of women come in. Nobody wants that.”

The existence of the alleged tapes was revealed by Vanity Fair in an article examining the atmosphere inside Fox News, where staffers reportedly fear both the direction the company will take after Ailes’ ouster and the fallout from misconduct that occurred “in plain view.”

“It’s hard to believe that executive management didn’t know what Roger Ailes was up to and how he conducted himself,” a source familiar with Fox News’ internal investigation told the magazine. “Hacking was bad. This is arguably worse.”

Citing six unnamed Fox News employees, CNNMoney published a separate report Monday night claiming that many of the network’s producers and presenters have “long feared” that Ailes was monitoring their phone calls.

“We all believe our phones are tapped and that we are monitored,” one on-air personality told the website.

This weekend, New York magazine reported that Ailes used Fox News funds to spy on journalists who covered him critically, including at least two Gawker staffers.