Fox News chief Roger Ailes and 21st Century Fox are negotiating his exit after a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former network anchor. The Daily Beast reported that Fox had initially confirmed that Ailes had negotiated a deal to leave, but “subsequently walked back that confirmation”.
Advertisement
The magazine report said althought the investigation was sparked by Carlson’s lawsuit against Ailes, it has since been expanded.
She worked for the conservative-leaning U.S. network for 11 years before her contract expired in June. This year, Fox News is leading all basic cable channels in prime-time and total-day viewership for the first time in the network’s history. The contract of Carlson, who said there was an atmosphere of harassment at Fox, was not renewed when it ended last month.
“Roger Ailes has never sexually harassed Megyn Kelly”, Estrich said.
His exit would be a stunning sudden end to the career of one of the most powerful executives in the media business who left a major influence on the television landscape.
After Carlson’s lawsuit was filed, at least six women have approached Carlson’s law firm with similar claims, the firm said.
The problem for Ailes is that the Murdochs, who control 21st Century Fox, are siding with Kelly. She claimed Ailes made unwanted sexual advances toward her and retaliated for her rejection by effectively firing her.
“In fact, he has spent much of the last decade promoting and helping [Kelly] to achieve the stardom she earned, for which she has repeatedly and publicly thanked him”, she said. Fox is now dominating all of the other networks in this week’s coverage of the Republican National Convention.
According to NY magazine’s Gabriel Sherman, Kelly described Ailes harassing her when she was a legal correspondent in Fox News’ Washington bureau during the mid-2000s. Murdoch’s sons have taken a larger role in Fox’s operations since the 85-year-old tycoon announced that he would gradually relinquish control of his corporate empire. Ailes would reportedly collect around $40m (£31m) under his current contract if he is not fired for cause. He was a media consultant for three successful Republican presidential candidates – Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush – but retired as a political consultant after working on Richard Thornburgh’s losing Senate campaign in 1991.
Today, the Drudge Report posted a document that purported to be the $40 million separation agreement between Ailes and 21st Century Fox.
Lauren Nussbaum, a spokeswoman for Paul Weiss, declined to comment.
Advertisement
One possible replacement is Bill Shine, a senior executive vice president for Fox News who has also been with the organization since its launch.
