Background

Geraldo Rivera recently spoke about his departure from Fox News during an interview on “The View.” Rivera, who had been with Fox since 2001, shed light on the reasons behind his exit.

Reasons for Departure

During the interview, Rivera revealed that he had a “toxic relationship” with one of his fellow co-hosts on “The Five,” which ultimately led to his departure. Although he chose not to disclose the specific co-host, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the unfair treatment he received during disputes.

Rivera recalled confronting executives and expressing his displeasure: “If you fired me from the No. 1 (Fox News) show, then I’m going to quit. I thought it was very unfair that in our disputes, he was always favored.”

“The Five” and Personal Conflicts

Rivera’s clashes with panelist Greg Gutfeld, whom he once referred to as arrogant and insulting, escalated over time. As “The Five” became Fox’s highest-rated show, Gutfeld and fellow conservative panelist Jesse Watters leveraged their success into their own prime-time programs on the network.

Rivera’s Perspective on Fox News

Sunny Hostin, co-host of “The View,” questioned why Rivera was not given the opportunity to host his own show. In response, Rivera stated, “My ideology does not fit at Fox. They always kind of squeezed me in.”

Rivera’s Suspension and Beliefs

Previously, Rivera faced a brief suspension from “The Five” after he openly criticized former prime-time host Tucker Carlson’s theories. Discussing his views on Carlson’s actions, Rivera expressed his disdain: “I don’t like to be unkind, but what he did, just as I will never vote for Donald Trump, I will never forgive Tucker about Jan. 6.”

Clarification and Statement from Fox News

Although the circumstances surrounding Rivera’s departure remained somewhat unclear, he mentioned on-air and on Twitter that he was fired from the show. In response, Fox News issued a statement, saying, “We reached an amicable conclusion with Geraldo over the past few weeks.” The network declined to provide further comments.

Contributing: The Associated Press