Fox News is parting ways with national correspondent Ed Henry after the network was made aware of a past sex harassment allegation.
Sandra Smith, Henry’s co-anchor on the weekday current affairs program “America’s Newsroom,” addressed the issue on air, reading from an internal memo issued to staffers by Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace.
“On Thursday, June 25, we received a complaint about Ed Henry from a former employee’s attorney involving willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago. Based on the investigative findings, Ed has been terminated.”
Henry’s attorney, Catherine Foti, said in a statement Wednesday that “Ed Henry denies the allegations referenced in the Fox announcement and is confident that he will be vindicated after a full hearing in an appropriate forum.”
Fox News will put rotating anchors in place on “America’s Newsroom” until a replacement is found, the network said.
Separately, Douglas Wigdor, partner of Wigdor LLP, a law firm known for representing women involved in high-profile sexual misconduct cases, said in a statement, “We have received a number of inquiries regarding the reporting of the termination of Ed Henry. I can confirm that we do represent the victim in this matter, but we are not presently at liberty to share any further information.”
Henry made news recently for donating part of his liver to his sister. He appeared to break down when he discussed the operation on air. He also found himself in the headlines after celebrity-focused news outlets reported on an extramarital affair back in 2016. Henry was previously senior White House correspondent at CNN.
A Fox News biography of Henry is no longer available on the company website.
Fox News became the subject of the movie “Bombshell,” which dramatized sexual misconduct under the late Roger Ailes, who helped create the network and was its CEO.
In the internal memo released on Wednesday, Fox News said it has made efforts to ensure that sexual harassment is treated seriously.
In December of 2019, Britt McHenry, an anchor on Fox Nation streaming service, sued the company for failing to respond to allegations involving another on-air personality, George Murdoch, known as “Tyrus.” The case is still in litigation.
Both CBS News and NBC News have also dealt with sexual misconduct situations.
