After a chaotic day of reporting Tuesday—some of which declared that Fox News chairman Roger Ailes had been fired—Ailes is expected to be back at work Wednesday morning. But the process of removing him from the job he’s held for two decades continues.
Fox News Channel’s Howard Kurtz, who reported the Ailes drama—and a report that Fox News host Megyn Kelly had confirmed to investigators that she had been sexually harassed by Ailes 10 years ago—during FNC’s coverage of the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, later confirmed a New York Times report that separation negotiations are happening. “While it is impossible to predict the outcome of negotiations, I can confirm that such discussions are under way.”
The revelation comes just two weeks after former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes—the FNC boss quickly calling Carlson’s claims “false” and “defamatory.”
In perhaps the most dramatic sign that Ailes’ lock on power has loosened, the Murdoch-owned New York Post, which typically avoids splashy reporting about Fox News, put the story on its front page Wednesday:
Today’s cover: The end is near for Roger Ailes https://t.co/4BMNOWIJIF pic.twitter.com/gnxGk4Hdnp
— New York Post (@nypost) July 20, 2016