Sinclair Broadcast Group has extended a lifeline to longtime Fox News veteran James Rosen, who was ousted earlier this year amid reports of sexual misconduct during his tenure as the channel’s chief Washington Correspondent.
“Proud to start the New Year by joining @WeAreSinclair as an investigative reporter in its growing Washington bureau. Stay tuned to this feed for updates on where and when you can catch my reporting,” Rosen said in a tweet.
He also shared a photo with his new colleague, Sharyl Attkisson, who hosts Sinclair’s Sunday Morning program “Full Measure.”
The full scope of what he will be doing at Sinclair still remains unclear. The network did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap.
It’s a return from the wilderness for Rosen, who saw his 18-year career at Fox News evaporate under mysterious circumstances in 2017, when the network announced just before Christmas that he had left. They offered no explanation for his departure either to reporters or viewers on air.
The mystery was ultimately only cracked after reporting from NPR’s David Folkenflik found that Rosen had a history of inappropriate behavior with colleagues.
“He had an established pattern of flirting aggressively with many peers and had made sexual advances toward three female Fox News journalists, including two reporters and a producer,” Folkenflik reported. At least one of the allegations contained in NPR included a claim that Rosen had groped a female Fox News reporter in the back of cab during the winter 2001.
Rosen is the latest media man felled by questions over sexual misconduct to make a comeback. Eric Bolling, who was also ousted from Fox News over similar issues in 2017, is now hosting his own show at BlazeTV, while Ryan Lizza, who was ousted from the New Yorker managed to hold on to his CNN contributor gig and has since picked up a staff reporting job with Esquire.
Rosen teased his return from the wilderness on a cryptic Christmas Eve Twitter post.
“Merry Christmas to you and family. Can’t wait to see you back in the public space and hopefully soon,” a fan said.
“Stay tuned,” Rosen said.