Geraldo Rivera Thrashed for Defense of Ousted Fox News Boss Roger Ailes
“Oh the grotestque unfairness of life,” Fox News personality tweeted on Thursday
Scott Collins | July 21, 2016 @ 2:43 PM
Last Updated: July 21, 2016 @ 4:25 PM
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Geraldo Rivera may want to support his ousted boss, but Twitter is having none of it.
Just minutes after 21st Century Fox announced Thursday that Roger Ailes is stepping down as boss of Fox News Channel amid allegations of sexual harassment, Rivera tweeted a cryptic message to his 95,000 followers.
“Oh the grotesque unfairness of life,” wrote the man who opened Al Capone’s vault for TV cameras.
One might have wondered at first what the intrepid correspondent could have possibly meant. But there seems little doubt it was a reference to Ailes, who was officially pushed from his job two weeks after former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson sued him for sexual harassment.
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.”
But judging from the reaction to Rivera’s mysterious tweet on Thursday, many people believe Rivera makes a flawed advocate for Ailes.
One Twitter user retweeted an old news clipping about Bette Midler claiming that Rivera had drugged her. Another reposted a bizarre selfie of Rivera posing in a mirror, naked except for a towel covering his private parts.
And yet another wrote that Ailes “gets to resign w/$40M bonus & no legal consequences after 20+ women have come forward. Life *is* grotesquely unfair.”
Geraldo Rivera's 9 Most Shocking Career Highlights and Lowlights (Videos)
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
Father-daughter reunion:
Rivera dramatically reunited with his daughter on live TV in Paris following the series of terrorist attacks in the French capital. His daughter, who lives in the city, was at the Stade de France when a cell of terrorists affiliated with ISIS set off explosions nearby.
Trayvon Martin:
The Fox News host found himself in hot water in 2012 when he blamed the death of Trayvon Martin on the teenager's choice of apparel. Rivera went on to say that "dark-skinned" people should make an effort not to dress "gangsta."
"The hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was," he said.
Shirtless selfie:
The 70-year-old Fox News host was roundly mocked on social media when he posted a shirtless selfie on his Twitter account. He later explained on his syndicated radio show that he was drunk and lonely when he posted the photo at 2:30 in the morning.
Al Capone's Vault:
Rivera famously promised to open a mysterious vault belonging to Al Capone on live TV in a heavily hyped 1986 special. However, once the vault was open, Rivera found little more than dirt inside, making the special one of the biggest live TV disappointments in history.
Casey Anthony "slut":
During coverage of the trial of Casey Anthony, the woman accused of killing her daughter Caylee, Rivera made waves when he called the accused a "slut" in his report. “I think it will end the prosecution case with a bang, so to speak, to show that this was a selfish, narcissistic, self-involved slut,” he said.
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Giving away troop location in Iraq:
Rivera was kicked out of Iraq in 2003 when he accidentally gave away the location and movements of U.S. troops during the war. He was was traveling with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army as a war correspondent when he knelt down into the sand on live TV and drew a map of an upcoming operation.
White Supremacist brawl:
In 1988, Rivera hosted a debate on his talk show "Geraldo" between white supremacists, black leaders and Jewish activists. It wasn't long before the segment devolved into a during which the host's nose was broken.
Willowbrook documentary:
In one of his career highlights, Rivera won a Peabody award for a 1972 documentary called "Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace," which captured the horrible conditions at a school for the mentally challenged in New York.
"Obama is dead":
In the race to report on the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, Rivera mistakenly reported the death of the president, when he mistakenly said, "Obama is dead."
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Fox News senior correspondent had an emotional reunion with daughter following Paris terrorist attacks
Father-daughter reunion:
Rivera dramatically reunited with his daughter on live TV in Paris following the series of terrorist attacks in the French capital. His daughter, who lives in the city, was at the Stade de France when a cell of terrorists affiliated with ISIS set off explosions nearby.
