It's rarely a good idea to defend indefensible behavior.
Just ask Megyn Kelly, Chris Harrison, or Chris Cuomo.
They all lost cushy TV gigs, and they're not the only ones who have blown up their own
careers.
Chris Cuomo was CNN's top anchor in 2021, after spending nearly a decade with the network.
But then his relationship with his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, brought
about an abrupt end to his career.
After New York State's attorney general Letitia James found that the governor sexually harassed
at least 11 women, the governor resigned in August 2021.
The process took months, and afterward Chris reportedly admitted he'd offered advice to
his brother, even using his media contacts to find out information to fight the allegations.
In December, CNN terminated Chris' contract.
On top of this, Chris Cuomo has also been accused of sexual misconduct himself.
In September 2021, TV producer Shelley Ross alleged in The New York Times that he groped
her at a party when they worked together at ABC News.
Chris told the outlet that he apologized and maintained that the incident "was not sexual
in nature."
Then in December 2021, attorney Debra Katz announced that she reached out to CNN just
before Chris was fired to discuss "serious sexual misconduct" allegations made by her
client, who chose to remain anonymous.
In a statement obtained by The New York Times, Cuomo denied the allegations.
In 2017, NBC ponied up a whopping $69 million to sign Megyn Kelly to a three-year deal,
but she soon began hitting stumbling blocks left and right at her new network.
Her primetime show fizzled out in the summer of 2017, while her morning talk show was riddled
with, as CNN put it, "disappointing ratings and awkward moments."
The nail in the coffin for the former Fox News star was a 2018 conversation about offensive
Halloween costumes, as she attempted to defend the wearing of blackface during an episode
of Megyn Kelly Today.
"Back when I was a kid, that was okay, as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character."
"I don't know how, like, that got racist on Halloween."
The backlash was swift and fierce.
On a subsequent episode of Today, Craig Melvin called her comments "stupid" and "indefensible,"
while Al Roker said that she owed people of color an apology.
NBC proceeded to cancel Megyn Kelly Today and ended up paying her the remainder of her
contract to sit it out.
After everything was settled, Kelly told TMZ,
"You will definitely see me back on [television]."
But lately, it seems that Kelly is doing her talking behind a microphone instead of in
front of a TV camera, as in July 2021 it was announced that she'd signed a deal to host
a weekday radio program on SiriusXM.
For nearly 20 years, Chris Harrison helped couples find true love on The Bachelor and
The Bachelorette.
But then in 2021, he said something that turned off the Bachelor Nation, and there was no
way to charm his way out of it.
After photos of Bachelor Season 25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell attending a plantation-themed
party surfaced on social media, fellow Bachelor Nation star Rachel Lindsay spoke with Harrison
about it on an episode of Extra.
While he acknowledged that the pictures and the party theme were bad, he wanted people
to extend "a little compassion" toward her.
"Is it a good look in 2018 or is it not a good look in 2021?
Because there’s a big difference."
"It's not a good look ever."
The following day, Harrison apologized on Instagram for, quote, "perpetuating racism."
The day after that, members of Season 25's cast called out his remarks in a joint statement.
And then Harrison announced that he would be taking a break from the franchise, which
was followed by a virtual sit-down with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America.
Following the interview, Strahan questioned if Harrison's apology was nothing more than
"a surface response."
Harrison officially parted ways with the franchise in June of 2021.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, he wrote,
"I've had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I'm excited
to start a new chapter."
Bill O'Reilly was one of the most popular commentators in the history of Fox News.
His penchant for on-air grandstanding kept viewers glued to their sets for 20 years,
but in 2017 the tension happening behind the scenes took center stage.
On April 1 of that year, The New York Times reported that O'Reilly and Fox had paid $13
million to settle five cases involving sexual or other harassment allegations against him.
O'Reilly had a reputation for firing off unfiltered, insensitive comments without consequence,
but it eventually led to more than 50 of his advertisers canceling their campaigns.
Fox News eventually gave O'Reilly his walking papers later that April.
But The O'Reilly Factor host maintained that he did nothing wrong and said in a statement,
"It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims.
But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today."
Since then, O'Reilly has stayed busy by publishing a number of books and hosting a show that's
available on his website for a monthly subscription fee.
Back in 2015, Brian Williams held one of the most coveted slots in broadcasting, as the
anchor of NBC Nightly News.
But then accusations mounted that Williams had lied about his claims that he had come
under grenade fire while reporting on the war in Iraq.
He was suspended, pending the results of an investigation.
Ultimately, even more "inaccurate statements" were uncovered, including Williams' claim
that he was in Baghdad with the Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden.
And thus the most watched newsman in America had lost the most essential quality for any
journalist: his credibility.
He was yanked from the anchor desk at NBC and relegated to a lesser role at MSNBC.
Williams later addressed his misstep in an interview with Matt Lauer, as he admitted,
"I know why people feel the way they do.
I get this.
I'm responsible for this.
Uh, I am sorry."
In 2021, Williams signed off from MSNBC's The 11th Hour.
As he wrapped up the unceremonious end to what could've been a celebrated career, he
announced,
"I'll show myself out, until we meet again."
One of the most revered journalists in American history, Dan Rather's career hit a serious
speed bump in 2004.
That was when he ran a story that challenged President George W. Bush's Vietnam War-era
military service.
After the story aired, questions arose about the accuracy of the reporting, specifically
whether or not the source documents were legitimate.
This stirred up a firestorm of backlash from conservative critics.
Rather stepped away from the CBS Evening News anchor desk in 2005 and left the network for
good in 2006 after 44 years.
In his book Rather Outspoken, Rather recalled feeling "all but invisible" at CBS during
that time.
As he put it,
"By this time it was clear to everyone but me that I was being erased."
In 2007, Rather filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS for breach of contract, as he
claimed that the network "warehoused” him.
The lawsuit was dismissed in 2009.
As he told People Magazine,
"They wanted to offer me what many people would consider good money and an assistant
to come and sit at a desk.
I didn't consider it for a second."
Despite the way it all ended, Rather still has fond memories.
As he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015,
"I was really lucky to work at CBS News.
I'm very proud of the career I had."
A heated on-air debate about Piers Morgan and Meghan Markle on a 2021 episode of The
Talk proved to be co-host Sharon Osbourne's undoing.
While defending Morgan on the daily chat show, Osbourne made some remarks that didn't sit
well with some viewers or her colleagues.
After her willingness to stand by Morgan was called into question, she stated,
"I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend, who many people think
is a racist, so that makes me a racist."
Following the segment, some of Osbourne's former co-hosts spoke out.
Leah Remini claimed that Osbourne made racist comments against Julie Chen and homophobic
comments about moderator Sara Gilbert.
Holly Robinson Peete took to Twitter to allege,
"Sharon complained that I was too 'ghetto' for [The Talk]...then I was gone."
Osbourne's time on the series ultimately ended after CBS conducted an internal investigation.
As part of the review, the network concluded,
"Sharon's behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our
values for a respectful workplace."
In 2016, Billy Bush was let go from NBC's Today after a little more than a year on the
job.
This was in the wake of the leaking of a controversial conversation he'd had with presidential nominee
Donald Trump back in 2005.
On the tape, Trump can be heard talking to Bush about how easy it is for him to grope
women without their consent "when you're a star," to which Bush responded by laughing.
There ended up being a lot of finger pointing regarding who leaked the tape and why, but
no answers.
It was certainly a political hot potato for the Trumps, with Donald's wife Melania telling
CNN's Anderson Cooper:
"He was lead on, like, egg on, from the host."
In a 2019 interview with People, Bush admitted that he regrets his actions.
As he put it,
"It was a bad moment.
And I was in it.
But one moment doesn't define your life."
When Matt Lauer first joined the morning broadcasting crew on NBC's Today, he felt like he'd arrived.
As he told Broadcasting & Cable in 2008,
"The Today show was my dream job.
It was a surreal moment."
But then on November 29, 2017, Lauer's world suddenly came crashing down.
That was when it was announced that he was fired after NBC received a complaint of "inappropriate
sexual behavior in the workplace."
In October 2019, Variety published an excerpt from Ronan Farrow's book Catch and Kill: Lies,
Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, in which former NBC News staffer Brooke Nevils
alleged that Lauer sexually assaulted her in 2014.
Nevils told Farrow that she was "too drunk to consent" and that she didn't want to have
intercourse.
Lauer has also been accused of sexting former NBC staffers and interns, though he's maintained
his innocence.
Since his termination, Lauer has kept pretty much to himself.
As a source told People Magazine in 2021,
"He only wants to talk to people who are gonna take his side.
He still feels like he got railroaded."
Former CBS This Morning co-host Charlie Rose once had an impeccable resume.
The lifelong journalist who gained national attention at PBS honed his craft for more
than 45 years.
But his reputation was turned upside down in 2017 when The Washington Post revealed
shocking allegations of sexual misconduct against the seemingly mild-mannered newsman.
Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, one of Rose's accusers who also worked for him, told The Hollywood
Reporter in 2018,
"Charlie's entire life was defined by who he was as a journalist [...] [but] Charlie
used his power, at times, to assault many women who worked for him."
The allegations against Rose included groping at a staff party, initiating unwanted sexual
advances, and walking around naked in front of colleagues who were required to work at
one of his New York homes.
Rose released a statement about the allegations on Twitter, as he acknowledged,
"I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior.
I am greatly embarrassed.
I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that though I
do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate."
After the story broke with eight accusers' complaints, nine more came forward.
At that point, Bloomberg Television, PBS, and CBS News all ended their contracts with
Rose.
In 2018, The Washington Post reported that 27 more women came forward with sexual harassment
accusations.
Rose claimed the report was "unfair and inaccurate."
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).