Viewers Outraged To See Accused Sexual Harasser Roger Ailes Memorialized On Emmys
Alongside the likes of the late Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Gwen Ifill and Mary Tyler Moore, the 69th Annual Emmy Awards also memorialized former Fox News chief and accused sexual harasser Roger Ailes on Sunday night.
Ailes, the 77-year-old television executive who built Fox News into the most-watched cable news channel in the country, died in May, almost one year after he resigned amid mounting sexual harassment allegations.
A week before Ailes’ death, Fox News’ parent company 21st Century Fox disclosed that it had paid $45 million in costs “related to settlements of pending and potential litigations” involving Ailes and sexual harassment charges. A $20 million settlement went to former “Fox and Friends” host Gretchen Carlson, who sued Ailes for sexual harassment last year. Since Carlson stepped forward, more than 20 other women have accused the former CEO of improper behavior and sexual harassment spanning decades.
The annual In Memoriam segment is typically criticized for leaving out deceased stars of the industry. This year, viewers were upset to see Harry Dean Stanton, Charlie Murphy and Frank Vincent excluded, among others. The Television Academy did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on the decision to include Ailes.
The decision to honor Ailes outraged viewers, who shared their thoughts on Twitter. Check out some of the most critical responses below.
Roger Ailes was included in the "In Memoriam" tribute because of his lifetime of achievement as a producer of racism. #EMMY2017
— Andy Kindler (@AndyKindler) September 18, 2017
Don't sell him short. There was also the sexism, the sexual harassment, the black ops, the toxic perversion of fact... https://t.co/2OGP6Z5BTj
— Kim Masters (@kimmasters) September 18, 2017
Hey #Emmys, Please don't put Roger Ailes on the same list as Gwen Ifill, ever. #NotBuyingIt
— Jen Siebel Newsom (@JenSiebelNewsom) September 18, 2017
Beyond shocked Emmy's would honor Ailes in memoriam. What message does it send to women (and men)?
— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) September 18, 2017
When Roger Ailes gets prominent billing in the In Memoriam montage. pic.twitter.com/xRpcNwHBRB
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) September 18, 2017
#Emmys did not include Frank Vincent, Dick Gregory, Harry Dean Stanton, or Charlie Murphy but don't fret, they made room for Roger Ailes! pic.twitter.com/0rb2EDeT2N
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) September 18, 2017
Roger Ailes is probably the person most responsible for the current toxicity of our political landscape. #Emmys shouldn't have honored him.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) September 18, 2017
The absolute SILENCE during #RogerAiles on the #Emmys #inmemoriam was not at all missed. What a monster.
— Krystina (@kjb27) September 18, 2017
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