Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle left the cable network after it opened an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct — including whether she shared inappropriate photographs with coworkers — according to a report from Huffington Post on Friday.
HuffPo reported that several Fox News employees said Guilfoyle was “regularly discussing sexual matters at work and engaging in emotionally abusive behavior toward hair and makeup artists and support staff.” Guilfoyle also had a habit of sharing pictures of male genitalia — and pointing out who the men were in the pictures — according to HuffPo.
Guilfoyle’s attorney, John Singer, provided the following statement:
Any accusations of Kimberly engaging in inappropriate work-place conduct are unequivocally baseless and have been viciously made by disgruntled and self-interested employees. During her lengthy and decorated tenure with the company, Kimberly was beloved, well-respected, and supportive of anyone she ever met. It’s utterly preposterous that there are those who are nefariously and greedily twisting innocent conversations amongst close friends into much more than what it actually was for financial gain. Kimberly has happily moved onto the next chapter of her life and hopes others will do the same.
The HR investigation into Guilfoyle started last year, after the host had been warned several times about her workplace behavior, according to HuffPo. Guilfoyle had been angling to buy time in order to win support from Rupert Murdoch, Fox’s head honcho, according to HuffPo.
Guilfoyle exited Fox last week, where she was a popular co-host of “The Five.” The 49-year-old is in an increasingly serious relationship with President Trump’s son, Don Trump Jr., which has raised questions about whether she could cover politics for the network without the appearance of bias.
“Look, they seem to be a cute couple and I love a good love story. But doesn’t this radically affect her day job?” CNN media reporter Brian Stelter said on an episode of “Reliable Sources” earlier this month.
“How can any of her colleagues criticize Trump when the president’s son’s girlfriend is sitting right there at the table? Doesn’t this complicate the entire network’s coverage of the Trump family?” he added.
Don Jr. filed for divorce from his wife of 13 years, Vanessa, in April. Guilfoyle, who is several years older than Don Jr., had previously been romantically linked to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. She is also the ex-wife of Democrat Gavin Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco that is currently running for governor in California.