Recently, Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes has been under fire for the sexual harassment accusations filed against him. The sexual harassment suit was filed on July 6 by one of Mr. Ailes former colleagues, Gretchen Carlson. These accusations have left 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News, to act and decide Mr. Ailes fate at Fox News.
On Tuesday, officials were negotiating the possibility of Mr. Ailes staying on Fox News, but as a consulting role. Ms. Estrich, Mr. Aile’s lawyer, said nothing was finalized. Mr. Ailes position in the company remains in question as negotiations are underway.
Mr. Ailes would likely be devastated if his title as Fox News Chairman was taken from him. Mr. Ailes had worked his way from the bottom and developed Fox News into what it is now, a famous cable news provider that highly benefits 21st Century Fox. Mr. Ailes is also a former Republican operative. This helped Mr. Ailes develop Fox News into a popular conservative politics news platform. In addition, Mr. Ailes also paved the way for other Fox News icons such as Megyn Kelly, Bill O’ Reilly, and Greta Van Susteran.
When word spread about Mr. Ailes potentially leaving Fox News, people at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland were shocked. Many TV figures and personalities were gathered and several Fox News anchors were questioned about Mr. Ailes position (which many refused to comment on). This doesn’t mean that there is a dearth of people supporting Mr. Ailes. In fact, many on-air personalities are publicly supporting him.
Although many of Mr. Ailes colleagues are supporting him, Ms. Kelly is not one of them. Ms. Kelly started speaking up about Mr. Ailes behavior by informing investigators that Mr. Ailes had made advances toward her several times in the past.
On the other hand, Mr. Ailes denies Ms. Kelly’s claims. Mr. Ailes’ lawyer, Ms. Estrich, communicates that Mr. Ailes never sexually harassed Ms. Kelly and only helped promote her and make her famous. Ms. Kelly had publicly thanked Mr. Ailes in the past for his help.
The lawsuit that led to Tuesday’s development was filed by Ms. Carleson when Mr. Ailes fired her because she rejected Mr. Ailes advances toward her.
When Ms. Carlseon filed the lawsuit, 21st Century fox immediately took action and allowed law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to conduct an internal review and investigate the case.
Mr. Ailes position has been causing chaos for the media. On Monday, a New York Magazine article stated that Rupert Murdoch and the Murdoch family were ready to fire Mr. Ailes. 21st Century Fox, however, rebutted this claim and reported that the matter hasn’t been resolved.
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