Far-right Newsmax boots ex-Fox anchor from debate coverage after sexual misconduct report

A former Fox News anchor who was fired for sexual misconduct in 2020 and is now working for the right-wing Newsmax network was booted off of a debate discussion panel following new details revealed about the extent of his misbehavior around women that continued even after he left Fox.

According to The Daily Beast, Ed Henry "had been kicked off of the Newsmax panel after the report was brought to the attention of Newsmax executives," revealing he sent sexually explicit memes and texts to a female staffer, including images of himself with a stripper saying that he would be "busy" with her.

His planned co-host, Jenn Pellegrino, was also cut from the lineup, and according to a Mediaite report, executives did it to try to cover for Henry and make it look as though his absence was not HR related — a decision that spurred outrage behind the scenes among some staffers. “It’s absolutely disgusting that a female co-host would be punished for the sins of Ed Henry but that is clearly what happened," said one source. "I’ve seen internal emails proving that is exactly what happened. Unfortunately, it’s a pattern at Newsmax. They don’t seem to understand that they can’t treat employees with such disregard just so the CEO can play Frat House President.”

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Henry, who also worked at Steve Bannon's Real America's Voice before finding a gig at Newsmax, became a subject of outrage several years ago during his separation from Fox News; one report indicated that Henry attached explicit photos to a court filing to try to slut-shame an accuser.

He is one of many figures at Fox News who was ousted in recent years for allegations of misconduct with women, including former primetime commentator Bill O'Reilly and the late former CEO of the network, Roger Ailes.

The debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, which took place on Thursday in Atlanta hosted by CNN, was widely regarded by political commentators as a fiasco, with Biden spending much of the debate stuttering and rasping, and Trump repeatedly making false statements that went with little fact-checking.