On Tuesday morning, just as it was announced that Fox News would be settling with former Fox host Gretchen Carlson in her sexual harassment suit against former Fox CEO Roger Ailes, one of the network’s last remaining female hosts has announced her exodus.
Without offering much of an explanation, it was announced that Greta Van Susteren would be leaving Fox News, ceding control of her election coverage show “Off the Record” to Brit Hume.
As of yet, Van Susteren has made no public comment about her departure from the network. The press release which announced the end of her tenure only said that the network is grateful to Van Susteren for her contributions over the last 14 years.
Said co-presidents Jack Abernathy and Bill Shine:
“We are grateful for Greta’s many contributions over the years and wish her continued success.”
The press release focused mostly on the addition of Hume, rather than the departure of Van Susteren, an indication that her departure may have been on less-than-ideal terms.
If the co-presidents were so grateful to Van Susteren as they claim, they might have given her more than a single line in a large press release about the change. Instead, the multi-paragraph announcement lauded Hume’s achievements and pushed Van Sustren into the background.
We hope to hear Van Susteren’s account of what happened very soon. With the way things have gone, it is almost impossible to imagine that the long-time Fox host did not face some of the same harassment from Ailes as the rest of the Fox women.
If the network doesn’t act fast, there will be no women left on the station at all. No one left to wear short skirts or perfectly coiffed hair; just disgruntled and graying men.
