While most Fox News staffers have remained silent since chairman and CEO Roger Ailes resigned on Thursday morning, Brit Hume voiced his support of his former boss via Twitter.
“To people like myself who have worked with Roger Ailes at Fox News from the start, today’s announcement is heartbreaking,” the senior political analyst for “Fox News Sunday” wrote.
“The fact that Rupert Murdoch himself has taken charge at Fox News is a sign of how much the company values what Roger Ailes built,” he continued.
Ailes’ immediate departure was announced earlier Thursday, with 21st Century Fox Executive Co-Chairman Murdoch assuming his responsibilities.
The man credited with founding the network exited in disgrace after former “Real Story” host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit on July 6, in which she accused her erstwhile boss of sexual harassment. An investigation that 21st Century Fox swiftly opened to look into the claims remains ongoing.
“Roger Ailes has made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country. Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years,” Murdoch said in a statement regarding Ailes’ departure following the corporate announcement.
Geraldo Rivera was one of the first to comment on the restructuring at Fox News, writing in a cryptic tweet: “Oh the grotesque unfairness of life.”
Two days earlier, Rivera had tweeted: “Don’t believe the crap about #RogerAiles. Only ones talking dirt are those who hate #FoxNews & want to hurt network that’s kicking their ass.”
Meanwhile, Carlson’s attorney issued a triumphant statement on Thursday. “Within just two weeks of her filing a lawsuit against Roger Ailes, Gretchen Carlson’s extraordinary courage has caused a seismic shift in the media world,” the statement read. “We hope that all businesses now understand that women will no longer tolerate sexual harassment and reputable companies will no longer shield those who abuse women.”
Carlson’s lawsuit against Ailes claims he sexually propositioned her and then fired her in retaliation after she complained about discrimination and harassment. Ailes has called her claims “false” and “offensive,” and he promised a vigorous defense.
See the tweets by Hume and Rivera below.
To people like myself who have worked with Roger Ailes at Fox News from the start, today's announcement is heartbreaking.
— Brit Hume (@brithume) July 21, 2016
The fact that Rupert Murdoch himself has taken charge at Fox News is a sign of how much the company values what Roger Ailes built.
— Brit Hume (@brithume) July 21, 2016
Oh the grotesque unfairness of life
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) July 21, 2016