Roger Ailes, Along With All His Chins And Jowls, Is Being Fired From Fox, Possibly Friday

Matthew Garrahan and Anna Nicolaou reported at the Financial Times that serial sex predator Roger Ailes is getting the heave-ho, courtesy of Rupert Murdoch & Sons, probably after the Republican convention. Two Fox males and a woman who looks like a man, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren-- 3 of the only on air people who were not forced to perform oral sex on Ailes-- have clauses in their contracts that would allow them to leave if Ailes does. "This means," warned the Financial Times, "a core team of on-air talent could follow Mr Ailes out of the door."

Ailes has told associates he is furious at his treatment by the Murdochs. 21st Century Fox opened an internal investigation into him on July 6, after former anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit alleging that he fired her after 11 years for refusing to have a sexual relationship with him.

In another blow to Mr Ailes, New York magazine reported on Tuesday that Megyn Kelly, arguably Fox News’ biggest star, told lawyers leading the internal investigation that Mr Ailes had sexually harassed her a decade ago.

Meanwhile, Ryan Grim ran into GOP haridan Ann Coulter on a plane and she told him Ailes is "definitely out." She's never been employed by Fox but she's part of the family and had heard from others about Ailes tendency to force women to have sex with him by threatening their careers.

Fundamentalist type conservatives-- whether in backward countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia or backward regions here in the Republican parts of the U.S-- have such weird, twisted perspectives on women. They really do still see women as chattel-- which accounts for both Roger Ailes behavior and for Mike Pence's and much of the Republican Party's throwback politics. It's dangerous to the health of society and the well being of the United States.



Gabriel Sherman, the Ailes biographer who first broke the story about him preying on Fox employees was up at New York this morning with a follow-up about how Megan Kelly had been harassed by the repulsive Ailes as well. Kelly encouraged other Fox women who had been pressured for sex by Ailes to speak up. Aides has been busy trying to plant stories with the press that there will be a mass exodus of Fox personnel if he's fired. Message from the Murdoch's to accept their severance offer "or face further public humiliation" is embodied in today's front cover... and this rather blunt tweet:

UPDATE: Ailes Escorted To The Door

As had become obvious, Roger Ailes was forced out at Fox News today. He gets a $60 million golden parachute.