Following NBC’s decision to fire Today co-anchor Matt Lauer ahead of several damning reports detailing numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against him, his colleagues and competitors reacted with disappointment, emotion, and shock. Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera, however, took it upon himself to mourn Lauer’s utterly blitzed career while defending their chosen profession as a “flirty business.” What’s more, he argued, the controversial television personality tweeted, the “current epidemic” of sexual harassment and assault allegations post-Harvey Weinstein may be “criminalizing courtship.”
Sad about @MLauer great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me. News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation. What about #GarrisonKeillor?
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
Despite the immediate (and ongoing) reaction to the above tweet, Rivera continued, saying “[a] jerk’s a jerk in dating.” He also noted the definition of sexual harassment “should be confined to situations where [a] superior imposes himself on subordinate who feels unable to complain because of power of perp or feared consequences to victim’s employment.” He then went on to decry calls for morning shows being hosted by women only, and offered further suggestions for how to pursue investigating sexual misconduct allegations in the workplace.
Heard well-regarded women in media today suggesting morning shows go to an all-female format. That should be as unacceptably retro as the other way around.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
#SexHarassment allegations should require: 1-made in a timely fashion-say w/n 5 yrs. 2-some contemporaneous corroboration, like witnesses, electronic or written communications. W $ settlements in multi-millions slight chance exists some victims are motivated by more than justice
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
“This issue is so red hot right now there is no room for any thought or opinion but hang em high,” Rivera lamented in his final tweet. “If News wasn’t (formerly) a flirty biz then how do we explain so many newsroom courtships that have led to happy marriages?”
This issue is so red hot right now there is no room for any thought or opinion but hang em high. If News wasn’t (formerly) a flirty biz then how do we explain so many newsroom courtships that have led to happy marriages?
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
Unsurprisingly, Rivera’s fellow television broadcasters, political pundits, professional journalists and Twitter trolls didn’t take kindly to his suggestions.
My female colleagues went into the "news business" because we are passionate about story-telling and we are curious about the world around us. When I was a 10 year old girl dreaming about being a reporter, I was NEVER told it was a "flirty business." This is not ok. https://t.co/2rrWU1ZJTg
— Ji Min Lee (@JiMinLee0) November 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/TheFienPrint/status/935980457698586624
https://twitter.com/ImAmandaNelson/status/935982433173991424
wow, now that I’ve read this I agree and will ignore all cases from this point on that don’t fall under Geraldo’s highly specific and not at all suspicious criteria that he has decided to share now for no particular reason https://t.co/59TH3CavMd
— Ashley Feinberg (ashleyfeinberg.bsky.social) (@ashleyfeinberg) November 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/libbycwatson/status/935978378431270912
https://twitter.com/ikebarinholtz/status/935995584413962241
https://twitter.com/HashtagGriswold/status/935992137216352257
You can practically see the flop sweat all over this tweet. https://t.co/wj2HmQnzsM
— Maggie Serota (@maggieserota) November 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/natemcdermott/status/935978674490396672
Geraldo wrote a book titled “Exposing Myself” pic.twitter.com/Gf3pPwL9Rl
— Sam Stein (@samstein) November 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/935992497515454468
Aside from digging through Rivera’s more recent past (like his infamous accidental nude selfie tweet in 2013), others also brought up Bette Midler’s accusations of sexual assault in 1991. During an interview with Barbera Walters, the singer and actress claimed Rivera and his producer drugged and groped her.
UPDATE: Rivera later apologized for his tweets, saying he “didn’t sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem.”
Reaction to my tweets today on #sexharassment makes clear
I didn't sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem
long hidden-Harassers are deviants who deserve what is coming
to them-Often victims are too frightened to come
forward in a timely fashion-I humbly apologize— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 30, 2017
Meanwhile, the Fox News Channel issued a statement regarding Rivera’s tweets and the resulting outcry. “Geraldo’s tweets do not reflect the views of FOX News or its management,” it read. “We were troubled by his comments and are addressing them with him.”