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Fox News Fires Ed Henry Over Sexual Misconduct Claim Fox News Fires Ed Henry Over Sexual Misconduct Claim
(about 4 hours later)
Fox News has fired Ed Henry, one of the network’s most prominent Washington-based journalists, after a former employee at the cable news channel lodged a complaint of sexual misconduct against him, the network said on Wednesday. Fox News has fired Ed Henry, one of the network’s most prominent Washington-based journalists, after a former employee at the cable news channel accused him of sexual misconduct, the network said on Wednesday.
Mr. Henry, a former chief White House correspondent at Fox News, had served as co-anchor of the network’s “America’s Newsroom” morning newscast since last year. In a memo to staff, Fox News leadership said it received a complaint last week alleging that Mr. Henry had engaged in “willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago.” The network retained an outside law firm to review the claims.
In a memo to its newsroom on Wednesday, Fox News said it had received a complaint last week from a lawyer representing a former employee, who alleged that Mr. Henry had engaged in “willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago.” “Based on investigative findings, Ed has been terminated,” the network’s chief executive, Suzanne Scott, and its president and executive editor, Jay Wallace, wrote in the memo.
Fox News retained an outside law firm to review the claims. “Based on investigative findings, Ed has been terminated,” the network’s chief executive, Suzanne Scott, and its president and executive editor, Jay Wallace, wrote in the memo. Mr. Henry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Henry, 48, joined Fox News from CNN in 2011. Besides his coverage of the Obama White House, Mr. Henry served as chief national correspondent at the network and as an anchor of several weekend shows. He is a former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For Fox News, Mr. Henry’s abrupt departure was an unfortunate echo of the network’s past struggles with inappropriate workplace behavior by star personnel. Its founder, Roger E. Ailes, and the prime-time star Bill O’Reilly were both forced from the network after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.
In recent years, several prominent figures at Fox News, including its founder, Roger E. Ailes, and the prime-time star Bill O’Reilly, were forced out of the network over claims of sexual misconduct. Mr. Henry, 48, who joined Fox News from CNN in 2011, was a former chief White House correspondent at the network known for his dapper appearance and aggressive coverage of President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He was also a popular figure in Washington media circles, serving as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and earning plaudits in 2018 for a tough interview with Scott Pruitt, President Trump’s environmental protection chief, who later resigned.
The lawyer Douglas H. Wigdor, who has filed lawsuits on behalf of several employees in misconduct cases against Fox News, said in an email Wednesday that he was representing the former employee in this case. He declined to comment further on Mr. Henry’s dismissal. Until last week, Mr. Henry had served as a co-anchor for “America’s Newsroom,” the Fox News morning newscast. But he was suspended on Thursday after Fox News received a complaint about his behavior from a former network employee.
The employee is represented by Douglas H. Wigdor, a prominent lawyer who has filed lawsuits on behalf of several employees in misconduct cases against Fox News. Mr. Wigdor declined to comment further on Wednesday about his client’s allegations or about Mr. Henry’s dismissal.
In 2016, Mr. Henry was forced to take a leave from Fox News after several tabloids reported that he had engaged in an extramarital relationship with a woman he had met in Las Vegas. At the time, Mr. Ailes said the episode raised “serious questions about Ed’s lack of judgment,” and Mr. Henry was stripped of his assignments covering the White House and Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Mr. Henry returned to the network a few months later as its chief national correspondent. He also was a co-anchor on several weekend programs before being promoted last December to the full-time anchor slot at “America’s Newsroom.”
Fox News has described efforts to overhaul its human resources department and reform its workplace culture. In her memo on Wednesday, Ms. Scott said she was announcing Mr. Henry’s dismissal “in an effort toward full transparency given the many actions we have taken to improve the culture here over the last four years.” She added: “We will continue striving to maintain a safe and inclusive workplace for all employees.”
Fox News declined to identify the law firm that conducted the investigation into the claims against Mr. Henry. Ms. Scott wrote in her memo that the firm had not previously represented the network in litigation or internal investigations.
Mr. Henry’s former co-anchor, Sandra Smith, announced his firing on the Wednesday broadcast of “America’s Newsroom,” telling viewers, “After a recent claim and investigation involving sexual misconduct in the workplace, Ed has been terminated from Fox News.” A replacement anchor has not yet been named.