It’s the end of a long era at Fox News as Roger Ailes, the former television producer turned Republican presidential adviser turned CEO of a national conservative news channel, has been brought down by accusations of being a serial sexual harasser.
Roger Ailes resigns: https://t.co/j9rnDYb4f2
— 21st Century Fox (@21CF) July 21, 2016
“21st Century Fox today announced that Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, and Chairman of Fox Television Stations, has resigned from his role effective immediately.”
Rupert Murdoch, who was on vacation with his new bride Jerry Hall, has named himself the CEO and acting chairman.
It started with a bombshell lawsuit filed earlier this month by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson who claimed Ailes, 76, ogled her and frequently made sexually charged comments about her appearance.
Then, the established star of Fox News, Megyn Kelly, told investigators that Ailes made unwanted sexual advances toward her a decade ago when she was a young reporter. Kelly described her harassment by Ailes in detail.
In total, about a dozen women have come forward to claim Ailes sexually harassed them too.
New York Magazine reported yesterday that a former “rising star” at the conservative news network was playing with children on the trampoline during a barbecue when Ailes moved in.
“Are you wearing any panties? I wish you weren’t,” he said, according to the report.
There are questions about the direction of Fox News in the post-Ailes era. Bill O’Reilly has threatened to leave the network if Ailes was pushed out.
Michael Steele, former chairman of the RNC, was quick to praise Ailes for his leadership at the cable news network.
“He gave conservatives an outlet, Fox became a place to go to for conservatives,” said Steele. “Fox has launched a thousand ships. For once we had a place where our voices could be heard.”