On Thursday, BlazeTV host Eric Bolling, who formerly worked at Fox News, related a story about a man who targeted him with a vicious comment as he was eating dinner with friends, saying Bolling’s son, who died from an accidental overdose in 2017, killed himself because “he was embarrassed by his dad.”
One month before the death of his son, Bolling was targeted by allegations that he had sexually harassed female colleagues. Fox News suspended Bolling pending the outcome of an investigation. The Hill reported in May 2018:
Eric Bolling has said in recent interviews that litigation regarding the allegations is ongoing and prevents him from providing any details. “I’m not supposed to be talking about the lawsuits because things are still pending,” he told CNN on March 25. “My wife of 20 years and I are completely on board and on the same page and that — I have never done anything like that,” he also said of allegations that he sent lewd photos to three female colleagues years ago.
The same day his son died, it was announced that Bolling and Fox had parted ways, but there was no apparent connection between the two events; People magazine noted that police documents obtained by The Blast attested that Bolling’s son knew the day before his death that he had possibly ingested a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
Bolling started by talking about how much he loved his son, Eric Chase Bolling, before segueing to the heartbreaking call that changed Bolling’s life:
My son, Eric Chase, and I were best friends. I adored him. We shared sneakers and polo shirts. He was my life. 18 months ago, I got the call every parent dreads. My son, Eric Chase, was away at college, the University of Colorado, Boulder. He was a sophomore. It was 10 p.m. and my wife and I were driving home from a celebrity dinner. I just closed a chapter in my career earlier that afternoon. Fox and I had separated ways under amicable circumstances. My cell phone rang and the girl on the line was crying rather hard. To this day, I don’t know why I went right there, but I asked, “Kayla, is he alive?” All I heard was “no.” Adrienne, who had pulled the car over, was listening to the speakerphone. When she heard “no,” she literally fell out of the car and onto the active roadway. I scooped her up and we sat on the curb for two hours crying. Adrienne repeated, “No, no, no, no, no,” probably several thousand times.
Bolling continued by noting how the death of his son catalyzed him into action to combat the drug crisis plaguing the nation:
The coroner found that Eric died of an accidental overdose from a Xanax laced with a deadly Fentanyl. Since then I have been on the front lines in the war on the opioid death national health crisis. I’ve hosted town halls with Sinclair featuring the first lady, Melania Trump, twice, the Surgeon General Jerome Adams, the drug czar, James Carroll, the director of the DEA, Kellyanne Conway, Senators Cruz and Rubio, Cabinet Secretaries from the DHS, HHS, and the VA; every one of these events saves lives. We have dozens of calls, emails, posts from people who thanked us for saving their life or that of a loved one after they saw and/or heard one of our town halls.
Then he spoke of the ugly incident the night before:
But I need to tell you something. Each time I tell this story, my heart gets ripped out of my chest. I’m telling you this because something awful happened to me last night. I’ve always been completely honest and transparent with you, my faithful friends, supporters and viewers. Last night I was sitting with some friends at the Trump hotel in D.C. Among several others, Hayden Williams from Berkeley was at our table. I was chatting with Hayden about him telling the story about being walloped on campus by a thug just because he was wearing a MAGA hat. I barely noticed what was about to happen. A guy who appeared to be talking on a cell phone walked by our table and turned towards us and said, “Eric Bolling’s son killed himself because he was embarrassed by his dad.” It was a drive-by hit on me using the most hateful words a human being could deliver to a grieving father. I got up and followed this hateful moron out of the hotel. I started taping and here’s what happened next.
As the video played, Bolling narrated:
That guy right there is the man who delivered the hate; walking fast, not breaking stride even as he crossed Pennsylvania Avenue against traffic. He was weaving around cars. Now I chased him down and yelled whatever comes to the mind of a man who’d just been told his son killed himself because of him. Yep, I used some bad words. Yes, I followed him and yes, I shouted at him.
The video ended and Bolling continued:
But no, I do not apologize. Eric was my world, my life. He died by accident and certainly not because of me, I love him beyond these words. But here’s some more video of that night.
The second video showed Bolling following the man who made the remark; in the video, Bolling says, “You’re talking about my son; my son is dead” while being cautioned by a friend, “That’s what they want, Eric, that’s what they want.” Bolling tells the man who abused him, “My son is dead. It’s not funny.”
Bolling continued:
As you can see, there was a second guy lurking somewhere with a camera. He put it right in my face, like an inch or two away from my face, and he a disturbing huge smile on his face, even after I mentioned Eric Chase being dead. These men are despicable people. I asked my producer to blur these thugs’ faces because I wouldn’t want to expose them to the type of hate they had just dumped on me. My question is, why though? Why would anyone do such a horrific thing over politics? Just because I’m a friend of President Trump?
Bolling asserted:
It’s an evil world out there. I’ve been exposed to way too many hateful comments on social media and in the media. But last night, I came face to face over true evil. Over politics, folks. Have we all lost our collective minds? We’re all human beings here. And some things just are off limits. And the drug problem is universal. It should bring us together, not be used as a tool of hate to the vulnerable.
Bolling summed up:
While trying to enjoy conversation with friends last night, someone or some group walked into my world and delivered what they wanted to be a death-blow. I’m sure whomever these guys worked for wanted me to shut up. But guess what they did instead? They picked a fight with the wrong guy. On September 8, 2017, I lost my son. I left my career behind and I put my faith on ice that day. All in a three-hour period. I lost it all that day, and this is what I have left.
Therefore, I will not shut up, not a chance. Eric Chase would never allow me to be intimidated by thugs like these guys. So, I shall not. God bless President Trump. God bless his supporters. God bless the United States of America. And God damn those among us who use hate to fuel a political agenda.
Watch below: