Shep Smith tearfully remembers Roger Ailes, a 'complicated' man he 'so admired'
Fox News anchor Shep Smith remembered the network's founder Roger Ailes for all that he was — good and bad — in a heartwrenching 13-minute eulogy Thursday. Ailes died Thursday morning at the age of 77, less than a year after he was ousted as Fox News CEO over sexual harassment allegations.
Smith looked back on the day he "learned of another side of Ailes," when the "mortifying" allegations surfaced. "I didn't believe it could be true at first. This man I so admired despite our differences," Smith said, recalling Ailes as a "patriot," "the biggest personality," and the "most influential and powerful man" he'd ever met. "I love him," Smith said.
Smith recalled trying to work through the pain and the shock, and then one day receiving an encouraging phone call from Ailes. "That was the last time we spoke," Smith said. "He left the company and the rest is history unfolding. To the true victims, respect and comfort. It's all so complicated. Everything here was and is, as he was."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Watch Smith's tearful remembrance of the "complicated" man who "guided" and "supported" him below. Becca Stanek
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Indie film's 'very brief' use of AI sparks backlash and calls for boycotts
Talking Points Did the creators of a new horror movie make a deal with the artificial intelligence devil?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Could Taylor Swift swing the election?
Today's Big Question The pop star has outsized influence — and that extends beyond the music industry
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published