On Wednesday, Geraldo Rivera announced he was leaving his role as one of the scant “lefty” voices on Fox’s famed political debate show “The Five.”
Rivera cites a growing tension beyond editorial differences as the reason for his decision.
The television veteran, who will turn 80 on July 4, will make his final appearance the following week.
With a contract set to end in January 2025, Rivera has stated his intention to continue working as a “correspondent at large” for Fox.
He said he had been expelled several times, most recently in May. Rivera tweeted that Tucker Carlson’s views about the January 6 revolt at the Capitol were “bullshit,” prompting Gutfeld to react sarcastically, calling Rivera “a real class act; a real man of the people.”
There were a few heated confrontations between Rivera and Gutfeld. Rivera instructed him to “stop pointing at me” during a fight about electric cars in late April. During a debate over abortion last year, he labeled Gutfeld “an arrogant punk” on TV.
Despite moving from prime time to the late afternoon, “The Five” has become Fox’s most-watched show, with an average of over 3 million people per episode in 2017. Its premise is straightforward: five individuals (four conservatives and one liberal) discuss topical subjects in a roundtable setting.
During his time on the show, Rivera represented the left-wing viewpoint on a panel that included Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, and Jeanine Pirro; Rivera’s replacement, Jessica Tarlov, often took over for Rivera in the liberal seat.
ABC’s The View, a competitor to The Five, addressed the departure during its live broadcast on Thursday, with host Whoopi Goldberg casting shade at Pirro for their infamously contentious encounter last year.
Joy Behar said it was probably difficult for Geraldo to sit there while many panel members simply lied repeatedly.
The View is known mainly for its inane blather of the day’s topics.
