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."

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Watch Smith's tearful remembrance of the "complicated" man who "guided" and "supported" him below. Becca Stanek