Fox News Fires Bob Beckel For Making Racist Remark

On Friday, Bob Beckel, a co-host of Fox News’ The Five, was fired because he made an inappropriate remark to a black employee of the network. According to The Wrap, on Tuesday evening Fox News Human Resources department was informed of what Beckel had said, prompting an investigation that determined he should be immediately fired.

According to Douglas Wigdor, the attorney who represents the employee as well as 23 people who have filed a class-action suit against 21st Century Fox for reputed racial discrimination, Beckel “stormed out of his office” after a black IT employee tried to fix his computer; Beckel allegedly said he exited the office “because he is black.” Wigdor stated that Beckel “attempted to intimidate our client and persuade him to withdraw his complaint.”

In March, Kevin Lord, Fox News’ Executive Vice President of Human Resources, ordered staffers to attend a one-hour sensitivity training session after accusations of sexual harassment were made against Fox host Bill O’Reilly.

Beckel has been fired by Fox before; in 2011 he was fired over “personal issues” because he had missed work because he was in rehab for use of painkillers. Bill Shine, then Fox News’ executive vice president of programming, said Fox refused to be held “hostage” to his “personal issues,” adding, “He took tremendous advantage of our generosity, empathy and goodwill and we simply came to the end of the road with him.” Beckel himself confessed, “I’m a recovering addict and cocaine was my drug of choice.”

He went to work at CNN, but rejoined Fox earlier this year.

Beckel was the campaign manager for Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign.