Fox News and Eric Bolling have parted ways following an investigation into a sexual harassment claim against him.
“We thank Eric for his ten years of service to our loyal viewers and wish him the best of luck,” the network said in a statement.
Fox had suspended Bolling Aug. 5 following a HuffPost story that reported Bolling had texted, unsolicited, a photo of male private parts to at least two colleagues at Fox Business and one colleague at Fox News. The incidents happened several years ago, but with Fox News’s zero tolerance policy, the women who made the claims felt comfortable coming forward.
In June, Bolling signed a multi-year contract extension with the network, “Eric has cultivated a strong fan base and has become a staple to the Fox News brand,” said Fox News programming president Suzanne Scott at the time. “His insight is valued and we are pleased to have him at the network for many more years to come.”
Bolling joined Fox News in 2008. Most recently, he co-hosted the 5 p.m. panel program The Specialists. The network has also canceled The Specialists. Today it was replaced by Shepard Smith anchoring an hour of Hurricane Irma coverage. Bolling also hosted the Saturday business show Cashin’ In.
In the past 15 months, 21st Century Fox has parted ways with network founder Roger Ailes, cable news’s most-watched host Bill O’Reilly, and Fox Sports Network’s president Jamie Horowitz, all of whom found themselves embroiled in sexual harassment scandals.
Fox Business host Charles Payne will be returning to the network Monday. He was suspended in June after conservative political commentator Scottie Nell Hughes, who had been a frequent guest on Fox, claimed Payne harassed her, and that former Fox News co-president Bill Shine retaliated against her.
Paul Weiss, the law firm that has investigated the Ailes, O’Reilly and Payne complaints, also investigated the Bolling matter. As of last week Fox News told us the Bolling investigation was still ongoing.