Roger Ailes is out as Fox chairman and CEO after sexual harassment allegations rocked the global mass media corporation, according to 21st Century Fox.
The July 21 announcement was confirmed by the media corporation via a press release.
“Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, and Chairman of Fox Television Stations, has resigned from his role effective immediately,” the statement read.
Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox, Rupert Murdoch will serve as interim Chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. Murdoch along with his sons, Lachlan and James thanked Ailes for his tenure.
“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,” said Murdoch.
In a joint statement, James and Lachlan stated the following: “We join our father in recognizing Roger’s remarkable contributions to our company. Our talented Fox News and Fox Business colleagues, up and down the organization and on both sides of the camera, have built something that continues to redefine the cable news experience for millions of viewers. We are enormously proud of their accomplishments.”
It has been a tumultuous week for the media corporation after former anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against Ailes alleging she was wrongful terminated and sexually harassed by the older gentleman.
Carlson claimed that Ailes made “sexually-charged comments” and made “remarks about Ms. Carlson’s body to demands for sex as a way for her to improve her job standing.”
Reportedly, prominent anchor Megyn Kelly endured unwanted sexual advances as well. The New York Magazine reported that Kelly was harassed by Ailes during her earlier days as a legal correspondent in Fox’s Washington bureau.
Ailes has always denied the claims.
“This is a retaliatory suit for the network’s decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup,” Ailes said in a statement emailed by Fox communications staff. “This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously.”
