News of former Fox News founder and former CEO Roger Ailes’ death broke early Thursday morning. The timing of the announcement coincided with the daily Fox and Friends episode, and as such, the network became the subject of the news that it was reporting. In the above clip, the hosts react — though their own shock and tears — to losing the man who launched most of their careers.
Steve Doocy paid tribute to Ailes as an unstoppable political force, who led several campaigns and was instrumental in the rise of several Republican presidential candidates, including Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and (of course) Donald Trump. All four hosts — including Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade — reflected on how they wouldn’t be sitting where they were if not for Ailes giving them a chance within his media empire.
Reactions to Ailes’ unexpected passing have contained both criticism and praise, and while mention of his “sins” did pop up within this discussion, these personalities remained loyal to Ailes during his sexual harassment scandal. As such, they wished to stress only positive memories and gratitude during what was undoubtedly a shocking and emotional morning.
As reported earlier, the cause of Ailes’ death at age 77 has not yet been released. New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman (who Ailes considered to be a menace and who arguably prompted his 21st Century Fox exit with several investigative reports) has indicated that Ailes suffered a recent fall, which led to several complications including a blood clot.