Geraldo Rivera, one of the few left voices on Fox News’ well-liked political debate program “The Five,” announced his departure on Wednesday, citing “a growing tension that goes beyond editorial differences” as the reason it was no longer worthwhile for him to continue.
The seasoned television personality, who turns 80 on July 4th, will make his final appearance on “The Five” the following week.
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“It has been a rocky ride, but it has also been an exhilarating adventure that spanned quite a few years,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. “I’m hoping this isn’t my final adventure.”
While nothing can be said for sure, several people ion social media think that he might have been fired for his political stand.
Despite saying that it was his decision to quit “The Five,” Rivera claimed that Fox executives “didn’t race after me to say, ‘Geraldo, please come back.'” Fox did not immediately respond with a statement.
With an average of more than 3 million viewers last year, “The Five” has become Fox’s most watched program despite running in the late afternoon rather than during prime time. Its basic idea is that five people—four conservatives and one liberal—discuss current events.
The typical conservatives are Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, and Jeanine Pirro. With Jessica Tarlov and former Tennessee congressman Harold Ford Jr., Rivera has alternated as the liberal voice.
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Rivera stated that he intended to continue working for Fox as a “correspondent at large” under a contract that runs out in January 2025.
He said that his most recent suspension, which occurred in early May, was one of several. Following Tucker Carlson’s firing by Fox on April 24, he had tweeted that he thought Carlson’s views regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol rebellion were “bullshit,” to which Gutfeld replied, “You’re a class act Geraldo, a real man of the people.” On January 6, Carlson downplayed the violence by labelling those who broke into the Capitol “sightseers.”