FOXNEWS SHEPARD SMITH HAS COME OUT IN AN INTERVIEW WITH
THE HUFFINGTON POST DENYING PREVIOUS RUMORS THAT ROGER
AILES MADE HOMOPHOBIC COMMENTS IN FRONT OF HIM AND
PREVENTED HIM FROM COMING OUT.
THIS IS IMPORTANT THAT HE WANTS TO SAY THAT HE IS NOW OUT
AND PROUD.
THE REASON WHY HE WAS NOT BEFORE HAD NOT TO DO WITH ROGER AILES.
THIS HAS BEEN SPECULATED ON FOR A WHILE.
WE SORT OF THOUGHT HE WAS FAMILY FOR A WHILE.
HE WAS FEATURED IN MAGAZINES POWER 50
LIST, BUT HE NEVER CONFIRMED THAT UNTIL NOW.
IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT HE IS APPARENTLY VISIBLY SHAKEN
AND EMOTIONAL WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT AILES.
HE EVEN DESCRIBES HIM AS A FATHER FIGURE.
I AM NOT A BIG FAN OF SHEPARD SMITH, BUT THIS MADE ME
FEEL EMPATHETIC TOWARDS HIM BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE A
TOUGH SITUATION TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT YOU LOOK UP TO AND
THEN HAVE ALL THESE ALLEGATIONS COME OUT.
I WISH THAT HE WOULD'VE SPOKEN MORE ABOUT THIS AVOWING
HIMSELF FROM ROGER AILES.
BUT HE IS STILL SORT OF IN A RECONCILIATION TYPE OF PLACE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS COME OUT?
>> THE COME OUT THING I THINK IS ALWAYS INTERESTING.
TO DO IT UNDER THIS SHIELD IS FASCINATING.
SHEPARD SMITH IS SAYING THAT HE JUST WANTED TO GET THE
STORY RIGHT, WHICH IS GREAT, AND MOST PRESIDENTS OF NEWS
ORGANIZATIONS WOULD'VE DONE THAT AND NOT SEXUALLY ABUSED A
LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE OFFICE AS WELL.
I THINK DEFENDING ROGER AILES ñ
HE HAS ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT THIS HAPPENED.
>> RIGHT, NOT HOMOPHOBIC.
IT SEEMS I'M GETTING CHOKED UP OVER THIS TOO.
ROGER AILES, APPARENTLY NOT A HOMOPHOBE.
STILL A TOTAL CREEPER.
I AGREE, I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE HEARD SOMETHING MORE
FROM SHEPARD SMITH GETTING IN THERE.
THE TRUTH IS, I HAVE SEEN FROM SHEPARD SMITH BROUGHT
DRAWING THE LINE OF THIS IS RIDICULOUS ON FOX NEWS.
I HAVE SEEN HIM SAY THIS IS AMERICA, THERE IS NO
FUCKING TORTURE.
IT COMES AS NO SHOCK THAT HE WASN'T SEXUALLY HARASSED BY
ROGER AILES, BECAUSE THAT IS NOT HIS TYPE.
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HEARD FROM SHEP SMITH A LITTLE MORE.
>>I FEEL CONFLICTED ABOUT THE STORY.
I THINK IT IS AWESOME THAT THEY HAVE A PROUD, GAY MAN.
BUT CAN ONLY DO GREAT THINGS TOWARDS TOLERANCE AND
ACCEPTANCE.
WHERE I AM DISAPPOINTED IS THAT HE DIDN'T REALLY SEEM TO
CALL OUT ROGER AILES'S ACTIONS ENOUGH.
BUT HE MIGHT STILL BE COMING TO TERMS WITH EXACTLY WHO THIS
FATHER FIGURE, THIS MENTOR, IS LIKE.
I DON'T FAULT HIM FOR THAT NOW, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO IN
THE FUTURE OF MAYBE HIM BEING MORE VOCAL ABOUT THE
MISTREATMENT THAT ROGER AILES PERPETUATED.
>>THAT MAKES SENSE.
SHEPARD SMITH, IT HAD TO OF BEEN HARD TO BE SHEPARD SMITH AT
FOX ALL THESE YEARS.
NOT ONLY THAT HE WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI.
HE PROBABLY HAD A TOUGH ROAD FOR A WHILE.
BEING STUCK AT FOX IN THAT SITUATION, THIS HAS TO IN
ITS OWN WAY BE QUITE LIBERATING.
IT HAS JUST BEEN A REAL TOUGH 12 YEARS.
>>WHAT YOU THINK THE REACTION WILL BE OF FOX NEWS VIEWERS
NOW THAT SHEPARD SMITH IS AN OPENLY GAY MAN?
DO YOU THINK HE WILL BE CELEBRATED OR THEY WILL SAY
YOU CAN BE GAY, BUT NOT THAT GAY?
>> I JUST THINK THAT IF HE SAYS SOMETHING THEY DISAGREE
WITH HE WILL BE THE GAY GUY THAT SAID IT.
I THINK IN MASS, AS SOON AS HE TAKES A POSITION THAT IS
ANTI-FOX, BECAUSE OF ALL THE PEOPLE THERE HE IS THE ONE
MOST PRONE TO DO IT.
I THINK OF ALL THE PEOPLE HE WILL ENDURE THE WRATH OF
FOX VIEWERS.
>>I AGREE.
THEY WILL HAVE A TOUCHING MOMENT WHEN THEY SAY SHEP SMITH IS
GAY, MAYBE I NEED TO BE MORE SENSITIVE, AND I AM
CHANGING MY OPINIONS ABOUT EVERY GAY PERSON, EVERY GAY ISSUE
TILL THE END OF TIME.
PROBABLY GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND AS SOON AS THEY DO THAT, A RAINBOW IS GOING TO SHOOT OUT OF
THEIR FRONT LAWN.
AND THERE WILL BE A POT OF GOLD, AND EVERYONE
WILL HAVE A NICE PARTY AND JUST HUG EACH OTHER AND UNDERSTAND.
>>YEAH.
>>THE OTHER END OF IT IS, I WOULDN'T UNDERESTIMATE ñ
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE I AM NOT A HOMOPHOBE, I LIKE
SHEPARD SMITH.
IS A GREAT COVER TO USE IN SITUATIONS WHERE YOU NEED
THAT PERSON YOU KNOW TO BE A COVER.
PAULA DEEN, THAT IS MY FRIEND FOR YEARS.
>> DONALD TRUMP IS THE KING OF DOING THAT.
ON THE TRAIL WITH HIS MUSLIM THING.
I HAVE A LOT OF MUSLIM FRIENDS, SOME OF THEM DISAGREE WITH
ME, BUT MOST OF THEM AGREE WITH ME.
>> WHEN HE SAYS ROGER AILES TOLD HIM THAT WE NEED TO GET IT
RIGHT.
HE IS NOT TALKING ABOUT CORRECT.
HE'S JUST SAYING RIGHT NOW IT IS TOO DOWN THE MIDDLE, WE
NEED TO GET IT RIGHT.
>>IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THIS DYNAMIC PLAYS OUT
BEFORE US IN THE COMING FEW WEEKS.