If you’ve ever wondered exactly what flavor of evil would be sufficient to get you fired from Fox News, here’s the answer: the evil of bad publicity! Last week, Fox News chief and cartoon inflated condom of malevolence Roger Ailes was accused of sexual harassment by one of the channel’s former hosts, Gretchen Carlson. Since then, six more women have made similar claims, and, threatened with a potential Cosby-esque avalanche of accusations, the Murdoch family has apparently decided enough is enough. As per a report on New York magazine’s website, Fox grandee Rupert and his sons James and Lachlan have decided to remove Ailes from his positions as Chairman and CEO of the station.
The timing of the decision, if it has indeed been made, is interesting — this week, of course, is the Republican National Convention, and it’s hard to see Fox doing anything to overshadow the event. But then again, they might decide it’s a good time to jettison Ailes when attention is elsewhere. Either way, of course, this is damage control — it remains to be seen whether the Murdochs will support Ailes in any sort of legal battle with Carlson and/or any of his other accusers. They wouldn’t, would they? (Insert your own cynical aside here.)