Fox News Host Says He ‘Quit’ Working at the Network

An advertisement features Fox News personalities, including Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, in New York City, on March 13, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Longtime television personality Geraldo Rivera said that he was “fired” by Fox News’ “The Five” and has now “quit” the network, coming in the midst of lineup changes at the network.

“Bumpy day on the North Atlantic. Anyway, I got fired from [The Five] so I quit Fox,” Rivera, 79, wrote on Twitter. “After 23 years tomorrow ‘Fox and Friends’ could be my last appearance on the network. Thanks for the memories.”

Rivera, 79, had the “liberal” seat on “The Five,” which has recently been the highest-rated show on the cable news network. Others who sit in the seat include contributor Jessica Tarlov and former Democrat Rep. Harold Ford Jr.

His comment on Twitter comes days after Fox News announced a new primetime lineup change that will more prominently feature “The Five” hosts Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld. Meanwhile, it comes about two months after Fox News announced it is parting ways with Tucker Carlson, who was the top-rated host at the network for years.

When Carlson left the network, Rivera reacted with scorn. “I don’t wish ill on anybody, but there is no doubt—as I said at the time—Tucker Carlson’s perverse January 6 conspiracy theory was [expletive]. Having lost the election President [Donald] Trump incited an insurrection that sought to undermine our Constitutional process,” he wrote.

And in response, Gutfeld replied with, “You’re a class act Geraldo. A real man of the people.”

Geraldo Rivera (L) and Erica Levy attend the Cartier Fifth Avenue Grand Reopening Event at the Cartier Mansion in New York City, on Sept. 7, 2016. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Cartier)

Both Rivera and Gutfeld have publicly sparred on “The Five,” with the two recently shouting at one another about electric vehicles. At one point during that exchange, Rivera yelled at Gutfeld to “stop pointing at me.”

Weeks later, Rivera claimed that his appearances on “The Five” were allegedly cut but said that “I'll be back [the] week after next.” When asked by the Daily Beast about the change, Rivera at the time stated that he couldn’t comment beyond what he said in the public Twitter post.

Rivera has been with Fox News since 2021, having previously worked as a broadcast journalist who notably hosted a 1986 televised event, “The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults,” which revealed ultimately nothing.

Fox News, in a Friday article, confirmed Rivera’s departure. “I am honored, I love Fox, I love the people at Fox, I always will,” Rivera said in an interview with “Fox and Friends.”

Ratings

Although Fox cut ties with Carlson, the network was the most-watched cable news channel in the second quarter of 2023, according to Nielsen ratings. In total day viewers, Fox averaged 1.1 million, including 140,000 in the 25-54 demographic that is coveted by advertisers.

No. 2 was MSNBC, which generated some 796,000 total day viewers and 95,000 viewers in the 25–54 demographic on average, the ratings show. CNN was No. 3 with an average of 463,000 viewers, according to the figures.

“The Five” was still the most-watched cable news show, drawing some 2.8 million viewers on average for the second quarter, according to the figures. Fox News released an article about the show’s relatively high ratings this week.

For the primetime hours in the month of June, Fox was still No. 1 with 1.4 million average viewers, the ratings show. MSNBC was close behind with 1.3 million, while CNN averaged 635,000 primetime viewers in June.

Since Carlson’s exit, meanwhile, Fox News has offered no comment on why he left, if he is still under contract, or the nature of the parting. Carlson, too, has remained mostly silent on the departure.

He has since launched a show on Twitter, which has drawn tens of millions of viewers per episode on average, so far.

Nielsen data show that Fox News’ primetime ratings have dropped after Carlson’s departure. In March, the full month before Carlson’s departure, the former Fox News host’s 8 p.m. show averaged more than 3 million viewers per episode, but the replacement show, “Fox News Tonight,” hasn’t been able to recapture those numbers.

Lawyers for Fox News, meanwhile, have reportedly sent letters to Carlson, demanding he stop his Twitter show because he’s still under contract for the network. Lawyers for Carlson, meanwhile, have said that Fox News is violating their client’s First Amendment right to free speech.

But on Monday, Fox News said that “Jesse Watters Primetime” will be moved to Carlson’s old timeslot at 8 p.m. ET. Longtime host Sean Hannity will remain at his 9 p.m. hour, Laura Ingraham’s show will be moved to 7 p.m., and Greg Gutfeld’s program will start at 10 p.m. ET.

“FOX News Channel has been America’s destination for news and analysis for more than 21 years and we are thrilled to debut a new lineup. The unique perspectives of Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfeld will ensure our viewers have access to unrivaled coverage from our best-in-class team for years to come,” Fox News Channel CEO Suzanne Scott announced in the article.

Those changes will go into effect starting next month, the company said.