Regular viewers of Fox News may have noticed that legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, also
known as Judge Napolitano, hasn't been seen on the network in a while — and now the
reason why has been revealed.
Napolitano first began his career with Fox News back in 2006 when he appeared alongside
Brian Kilmeade on the Fox News Radio series "Brian and the Judge."
Napolitano left the show in 2010, at which time it was rebranded as "Kilmeade and Friends,"
though the judge continued to appear on its TV equivalent.
Napolitano has become a familiar face as a regular on Fox News, often sharing his two
cents on legal stories while also appearing on "Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano."
He cemented his place on the news network in 2012 when he replaced Glenn Beck on his
daily show and became pretty popular with viewers.
But Napolitano's career and his time on the channel certainly hasn't been without controversy.
According to CNN, he took a week-long break from the airwaves in 2017 after making claims
about former President Obama spying on Donald Trump.
"And that has been disappointing."
Now, Napolitano is absent from the channel once again, potentially for good this time,
amid some serious allegations.
It was confirmed in August that Andrew Napolitano is officially no longer employed by Fox News
after being accused of alleged sexual harassment.
Per Variety,
"A 27-year-old Fox News associate producer alleged that Napolitano has 'sexually harassed
numerous young male employees during his tenure at Fox News.'
The plaintiff, whose name is John Fawcett, claims that he reported Napolitano’s misconduct
to Fox News' human resources department but they did not take any immediate action against
him."
In a statement, Fox News confirmed Napolitano's departure, stating that he and the network
had "parted ways."
The statement added,
"We take all allegations of misconduct seriously, are committed to providing a safe, transparent,
and collaborative workplace environment for all our employees and took immediate, appropriate
action."
The statement continued,
"Furthermore, the additional allegations laid out in this claim are completely baseless
and nothing more than a desperate attempt at a payday by trying the case in the court
of public opinion as the complaint does not meet the standards of the law."
Napolitano doesn't appear to have spoken publicly about his departure or the most recent allegations.
He also faced separate allegations in 2020, as Deadline reported,
"Napolitano was the subject of separate claims of sexual misconduct last year, one in a lawsuit
filed by a criminal defendant who claimed that Napolitano, when he was still a working
judge, offered him a more lenient sentence in exchange for oral sex.
Another was from a New Jersey waiter who claimed sexual assault."
Napolitano denied the initial allegation about an alleged offer of a more lenient sentence
in a statement via his attorney, Tom Clare, via NorthJersey.com.
He responded,
"These accusations are completely false.
Full stop.
I have never done anything like what the accuser describes, at any time, to anyone, for any
reason.
I have never had any personal relationship or inappropriate contact or -communication
of any kind with the man making this accusation.
Each and every one of his claims against me are pure fiction.
Period."
Napolitano's attorney also went on to then deny the second round of claims in another
statement, saying,
"This copycat lawsuit [...] is nothing more than a pile-on attempt to smear Judge Napolitano
for their own financial gain."
The allegations made against Andrew Napolitano aren't the first time instances of sexual
harassment have occurred at Fox News.
The cable news station was fined $1 million in June 2021 after reaching a settlement in
a sexual harassment investigation.
The investigation began, according to USA Today,
"In response to 'a series of high-profile reports alleging a culture of pervasive sexual
harassment and retaliation at the network.'"
As a result, per USA Today,
"The settlement also requires Fox to institute a policy and complaint procedure for the reporting
of discrimination and harassment complaints for at least two years, and to provide commission-approved
harassment and bystander training."
The "high-profile reports" in question were the basis for the blockbuster film "Bombshell,"
"Nobody stops watching because of a conflict, they stop watching when there isn't one."
"Bombshell" told the story behind the sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes, former
chief of Fox News, that was brought forth by former Fox News journalist Gretchen Carlson
in 2016.
Ailes left the network after multiple claims against him surfaced before his death in 2017.
Other Fox News names to face misconduct accusations included Bill O'Reilly and Ed Henry.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline
at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).