Fox News host Ed Henry has been fired over alleged sexual misconduct. In an email sent to employees, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace explained the situation. According to the email, the inciting incident occurred years ago.
“On Thursday, June 25, we received a complaint about Ed Henry from a former employee’s attorney involving willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago,” they wrote. A third-party law firm has become involved in the investigation. According to Fox News management, Fox removed Henry from his on-air responsibilities that same day.
“Fox News Media strictly prohibits all forms of sexual harassment, misconduct, and discrimination,” the email reads. “We will continue striving to maintain a safe and inclusive workplace for all employees”. Ed Henry has not made any public statements regarding the allegations. According to Fox, rotating anchors will fill in for Henry’s roles for the foreseeable future.
Douglas Wigdor has stated he is representing Henry’s accuser. Wigdor is a high-profile attorney who represents many women filing lawsuits against Fox. Currently, Wigdor has stated that he is not at liberty to further discuss the case. The identity of the accuser and the details of the accusation are not yet public.
Surprising Swiftness
Fox booted Ed Henry with surprising swiftness. Many employees at the news network didn’t expect his sudden firing. Henry joined the network in 2011 after working at CNN for seven years. For Fox News, he served as a White House correspondent covering the Obama Administration. Then, in 2016, he helped cover the Hillary Clinton campaign.
In 2016, a tabloid story revealed that he engaged in an extramarital affair. This caused then-CEO of Fox News Roger Ailes to distance himself from the anchor. Ailes noted that this episode reflected poorly on Henry’s character. Ironically, Ailes himself was ousted from the company months later when women came forward with allegations of misconduct from the CEO.
Fox News has promised that, since the ousting of Ailes, they’ve shifted their corporate culture. While there was once hostility and negativity towards women, it’s better now, they say. This could explain the swiftness of Henry’s ouster from the company.
However, Henry’s hardly the first Fox News anchor to be outed this way. Fox fired Bill O’Reiley, a popular anchor, from the company following similar allegations. For whatever reason, finding a Fox News anchor without allegations of misconduct is like playing slots for real money.
