Greta Van Susteren leaving Fox News after 14 years, network announces
Greta Van Susteren attends the 29th American Cinematheque Award ceremony in Los Angeles on Oct. 30, 2015. Fox News has announced that she will be leaving the network, effective immediately. Credit: Getty Images / Jason Merritt
Greta Van Susteren, one of Fox News’ best-known hosts and a fixture there for the past 14 years, is leaving the network, Fox News Channel announced Tuesday. Her show, “On the Record,” will be hosted by Brit Hume, effective immediately, per FNC.
The surprise announcement marks the end of a run that began for Van Susteren in February 2002 after a decadelong tenure at CNN, where she became one of TV’s best-known legal commentators.
In a Facebook post, Van Susteren said, “On Thursday night, I made the decision and informed Fox News..that I was leaving per my contract. Fox has not felt like home to me for a few years and I took advantage of the clause in my contract which allows me to leave now. The clause had a time limitation, meaning I could not wait.”
She added that “I hope to continue my career in broadcasting.”
Van Susteren was one of handful of prominent on-air Fox personalities who came to the defense of former Fox chief Roger Ailes after Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in early July. Van Susteren told People magazine, “I deal with Roger Ailes often. I’ve often been alone with Roger Ailes in his office over the course of 15 years, and I’ve never seen anything like what I’m reading about in the papers and the magazine.”
She added, “If Roger Ailes were how he’s described, there’s no way I would’ve stuck around. I don’t feel like putting up with that stuff and I wouldn’t. Even if he weren’t doing it to me, I wouldn’t want to work in that environment. I sort of feel bad for Gretchen Carlson because it’s sort of a weird thing that she’s done. What she’s alleging is something that is alien to me. I’ve never heard it.”
“We are grateful for Greta’s many contributions over the years and wish her continued success,” Fox News co-presidents Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine said in a statement.
