Can you come back from sexual misconduct allegations? How about antisemitic
comments? These news anchors are trying to in one way or another!
For years, Megyn Kelly was a fixture on cable news, first at Fox News and later
at NBC. The television journalist left the former station after an intense election cycle in 2016,
Kelly taking the brunt of some criticism from presidential candidate Donald Trump.
She told Ellen DeGeneres of her decision to leave,
"I was never a political person, I wasn't raised in a political household,
and it became clear to me it wasn't what I wanted to do, it's not who I am. And then,
Donald Trump has a way of clarifying one's life choices, and that was true for me too."
Kelly left for NBC, where she hosted "Megyn Kelly Today." However,
due to controversial comments she made about blackface, Kelly was fired from the network.
Kelly took a short break from media, and later returned with her SiriusXM podcast,
"The Megyn Kelly Show." Kelly sees her firing from NBC as a blessing,
as it encouraged her to pursue a totally different avenue. As she told Business Insider,
"I had this soaring career at Fox that was great by any measure,
but I was miserable at home. It was too stressful,
too much time away from my family and my kids, and then I overcorrected at NBC by going too soft."
Pivoting to podcast, however, seems to be something that works for her. She said,
"I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I'm fired up and making a difference."
In late 2021, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was let go amid a whirl of scandals that had plagued him for
months prior to his ultimate downfall. Cuomo's brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo,
had been accused of sexual misconduct, claims which Chris used his platform to debunk.
Investigation by the New York attorney general proved Chris's involvement in
trying to clear his brother's name far surpassed simply supporting him while
anchoring on CNN. Chris had also been accused of sexual misconduct,
but whether those accusations or his involvement in his brother's campaign for innocence was the
impetus behind the firing was not disclosed. Chris spoke of his firing on "Dan Abrams Live."
"I remember the phone call, but I don't remember any emotions behind it."
He added that he hadn't realized how much his accomplishments and team at CNN meant
to him at the time. It wasn't until later that he processed these emotions. Chris
wasn't out of work for too long, though. Per Variety, after just 10 months off the air,
the news anchor returned to broadcast with his own show, "Cuomo," on NewsNation.
Ed Henry has had a long career in television news. The anchor
worked at CNN for many years before moving to Fox News, where he served
as chief White House correspondent. Henry was fired from Fox News in 2020 after being
accused of sexual misconduct. After news of his firing broke, his attorney stated,
"Ed Henry denies the allegations referenced in the Fox announcement and is confident that
he will be vindicated after a full hearing in an appropriate forum."
This was not the first time Henry's career at Fox News had been interrupted by allegations. In 2016,
news of Henry's alleged affair surfaced, precluding him from reporting on Hillary
Clinton's bid for the White House. After losing his job, Henry filed a defamation lawsuit
against CNN and NPR. Allegations were leveled against some CNN and NPR employees by name,
notably David Folkenflik, a reporter for the latter outlet. NPR stated amid the lawsuit,
"NPR stands behind David Folkenflik's reporting
and will vigorously defend it against this meritless claim."
In May 2022, Folkenflik tweeted,
"Fox News host Ed Henry's lawsuit against me and NPR has been voluntarily dismissed."
Per Henry's Twitter, he can be found anchoring a program on Real America's Voice.
For a time in the late 2010s, multiple Fox News anchors were fired following sexual misconduct
claims. Of all the anchors, perhaps the most notable was Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly hosted a
top-rated program on the network, and his ratings increased amid news of the sexual
harassment allegations and a hefty settlement. However, high ratings weren't enough to keep
O'Reilly seated in his anchor's chair, and in early 2017 he left Fox News permanently.
After his exit from cable television,
O'Reilly started a podcast, "No Spin News." O'Reilly said on his podcast,
"I am sad that I'm not on television anymore. I was very surprised how it
all turned out. I can't say a lot because there's much stuff going on right now."
O'Reilly didn't leave the network empty-handed. According to The New York Times, the former news
anchor was believed to have gotten a $25 million payout from Fox News amid his departure.
Fox News wasn't the only station firing anchors amid the onset of the #MeToo movement. In 2017,
NBC fired longtime anchor Matt Lauer after a series of sexual misconduct
allegations were leveled against him. NBC News chairman Andrew Lack told employees,
"While it is the first complaint about
his behavior in the over 20 years he's been at NBC News,
we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."
Lauer's exit from NBC coincided with news of
a new drama series coming to Apple TV+, "The Morning Show."
"Men have used their power to attract women since the dawn of time, and now,
now, let's bust Mitch Kesller over it!"
Many alleged that the show was based on Lauer,
but showrunner Kerry Ehrin set the record straight on "TV's Top 5" podcast, saying,
"[Mitch is] not Matt Lauer. It wasn't designed to be about him; I didn't study him. It was about a
guy who works in morning news who gets fired for sexual misconduct. That did happen to Matt Lauer."
Almost five years after the scandal, Us Weekly reported
that Lauer is planning a return to his career. Per a source of the magazine's,
"Matt Lauer is still clamoring for a comeback."
Lauer reportedly is planning to launch a podcast.
Although it seems like television news anchors suddenly losing their jobs is a new phenomenon,
it's actually old news. In 2005, news anchor Dan Rather was moved from his post at "60
Minutes" to a weekend slot after reporting news about then-president George W. Bush's
time in the military. He was using documents claimed to be inauthentic as evidence. Not
long after his reassignment, Rather was fired from the cable news network. Although he lost
his job over the allegations, Rather stands by his report. As he told The Hollywood Reporter,
"We reported a true story. We didn't do it perfectly. We made some mistakes of
getting to the truth. But that didn't change the truth of what we reported."
Though firings like Rather's are fairly commonplace now,
he was once an outlier in his field as one of the few whose life story turned into a movie. In 2015,
"Truth" starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford was released,
telling the story of Rather's report and ultimate job loss.
As Rather also told The Hollywood Reporter,
"I'm very proud of the career I had. I'm a great believer that
you are what your record is, and my record there is what it is."
Today, more of what Rather has to say can be found in his newsletter
via Substack. He can also be found on Twitter. Although rumors of his death
circulated, he confirmed to his 2.7M followers that he is alive and well.
Starting in the early 1980s, Rick Sanchez worked for news stations across the country, and in 2004,
the anchor made CNN his home, reporting the news in multiple capacities and hosting "Rick's List."
In 2010, however, CNN severed ties with Sanchez after he made antisemitic comments. During a
radio interview, Sanchez called political commentator Jon Stewart a bigot and said,
"I'm telling you that everybody that runs CNN is a lot like Stewart."
The comments must not have sat well with CNN executives, and Sanchez was subsequently fired.
Even so, the network released a polite statement after Sanchez's exit, saying,
"Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company.
We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well."
Soon after his firing, Sanchez spoke about it on "Today." He explained,
"My daughter had a softball game I desperately wanted to go to,
and I was a little impatient. [...] I said some things I shouldn't have
said. They were wrong. Not only were they wrong, they were offensive."
Over 10 years after his firing, Sanchez returned to media with a
new project. In May 2022, his podcast, "The Rick Sanchez Podcast," premiered,
and he's released multiple new episodes per week since.
In November 2017, The Washington Post revealed that eight women had come forward and alleged
that they had been sexually harassed by Charlie Rose, former CBS anchor. After news broke,
Rose claimed the allegations were false; he was fired from his post. He was 75 years old
at the time, and following his termination, he was not hired by any other news outlets.
In 2022, nearly five years after the scandal, Rose sat down with billionaire businessman
Warren Buffet in an apparent attempt at a career comeback. Rose posted the interview
to his website, but the two didn't discuss Rose's firing from CBS. Rose did say, however,
"It is a step in a journey to engage the most
interesting people and explore the most compelling ideas in the world."
"I'd be nuts
if I looked back on my life and didn't say you've been the luckiest guy imaginable."
In 2017, Fox News anchor Eric Bolling was fired from his position after
being investigated for claims of sexual harassment. Bolling co-hosted "The Five"
and "The Specialists" for many years. Amid his firing, the network said in a statement,
"Fox News Channel is canceling The Specialists,
and Eric Bolling and Fox have agreed to part ways amicably. We thank Eric
for his ten years of service to our loyal viewers and wish him the best of luck."
In 2021, Bolling sat down with the BBC for a segment. Bolling
got up and left after fellow contributor Aisha Mills said,
"I think it's really rich for any Republican, especially a white man,
to run around and claim they care about the
economic condition of Black communities and Black businesses when that's all a lie."
"I'm done. I'm done."
This was during a discussion regarding voting laws in Georgia, and Bolling seemed to take Mills'
comments personally. Bolling can still be found reporting the news, just at a different station.
The former Fox News anchor is a current Newsmax anchor, hosting "Eric Bolling The Balance."
In late 2022, CNBC announced that Shepard Smith, host of "The News with Shepard Smith,"
would be leaving the network. In a memo to employees, the network president stated,
"After spending time with many of you and closely reviewing the various aspects of our business,
I believe we must prioritize and focus on our core strengths of business news and personal finance."
Evidently, Smith's nightly news show no longer fit in with the vision for the network's future.
This isn't the first time Smith has left a cable news network. In 2019, Smith exited Fox News after
decades with the network — after he'd just signed a multiyear contract, no less. At the
time of his departure, details were scant, but he shared more about his decision in early 2021. Of
his time on the network, he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that he stuck it out as long as he could.
"If you feel like the Fox viewers were getting mis- or disinformation,
I was there to make sure that they got it straight."
Smith also noted his frustration with some of the other Fox News anchors.
"I don't know how some people sleep at night. I know that there are a lot of
people who have propagated the lies and who have pushed them forward."
Smith has yet to be so forthcoming about his departure from CNBC.
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).