What Geraldo Rivera Really Blames For His Scandalous Fox News Exit

There's no question that Geraldo Rivera's firing from "The Five," followed by his decision to quit Fox altogether, was dramatic. However, far from shying away from the reasons behind the drama, when it comes to the truth about his firing, Rivera hasn't held back. 

Rivera first addressed his exit in an interview with AP in June 2023. At the time, he explained that friction behind the scenes had played a role in his departure — though TBH, not all of it was behind the scenes. Many will remember the tension between him and Greg Gutfeld both on social media and on "The Five." As such, it wasn't exactly surprising when he told NewsNation that animosity with a co-star (not mentioning Gutfeld, but discussing issues with an unnamed colleague not long after NewsNation host Chris Cuomo showed a clip of the two sparring on air) had been a major contributing factor to the situation. 

Granted, that wasn't the only contributing factor Rivera listed when discussing his exit from "The Five." He also said that it became clear to him that Fox didn't want him around, either. As he pointed out to NewsNation, part of his realization came after he was fired from the show and was offered less prominent spots instead, simply so that his contract wouldn't be broken. Likewise, in his interview with AP, he revealed that even when he said he'd leave Fox altogether, the powers that be "didn't race after me to say, 'Geraldo, please come back.'" Given how long he'd been on the network, that had to have hurt. 

Though he didn't shy away from talking about the circumstances surrounding his departure from "The Five" and later Fox, Geraldo Rivera certainly did try to keep his shady side in check throughout the ordeal. For starters, like we said, he never specifically mentioned Greg Gutfeld as his work nemesis. In fact, even when asked to name and shame on "The View," he laughed that those who wanted to know "could check the internet." Along those same lines, he also gave "The Five" executives a shout-out for being kind to him in the lead-up to his exit. However, pressed for why those same execs didn't give him a new show of his own, he hinted at one of the major reasons he believed he was let go in the first place. "My ideology does not fit Fox," he acknowledged. 

Rivera was a little less diplomatic on that particular detail when speaking to NewsNation. In fact, he named a specific instance that landed him in trouble with the network in the months before he was fired. Many will remember that Rivera blasted Tucker Carlson for his take on January 6. As it turns out, after Rivera spoke out against Carlson's position, he was suspended by the network. That's not to say Rivera's position changed, though — and he hinted at that being a reason for execs wanting him out. "Saying it time and time again was counterintuitive or, I guess, against the direction that they were headed," he said. Nevertheless, he continued, "I was not going to go there."

It's pretty clear, then, that Rivera has no regrets. Sure, he lost a high-paying gig, but he did so for staying true to his personal beliefs, and that's worth a lot more.