FOX News has expelled longtime correspondent Geraldo Rivera from The Five after a number of on-air disagreements between him and co-hosts Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld.
Rivera, 79, a FOX News staple since 2001, announced his sudden ouster on Twitter Wednesday morning, writing, “It’s official, I’m off The Five. My last scheduled performances are Thursday and Friday June 29 and 30.
“It’s been a great run and I appreciate having the chance,” he said. ‘Being the odd one out isn’t always easy.’
Rivera will continue to serve as a correspondent at Large, he said.
He had been one of the panel show’s rotating “Liberal” co-hosts since January 2022, sharing his role with commentator Jessica Tarlov and former U.S. Representative Harold Ford.
The three would take turns sparring with their more conservative colleagues, including Judge Jeanine Pirro, Jesse Watters, Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld.
But last month, Rivera claimed on Twitter that his scheduled appearances on the show had been cancelled.
DailyMail.com has reached out to FOX News for comment.
Geraldo Rivera announced on Wednesday morning that he has started at The Five
He tweeted that his last show appearance will be on June 30, but he remains a correspondent on the loose
In early May, Rivera tweeted, “My appearances today and tomorrow at The Five have been cancelled. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it. Don’t worry, I’ll be back week after next. Stay safe and happy. Thanks” with a praying emoji.
He hadn’t appeared on the network since April 21, the same day it was announced that longtime anchor Tucker Carlson had been dropped.
Rivera’s tweet claiming his network appearances were being canceled came after he was on the receiving end of his co-host Greg Gutfeld’s online mockery.
On April 26, days after the announcement that Carlson was being abruptly let go by Fox News, Rivera tweeted, “I don’t wish anyone any harm, but there’s no doubt — as I said at the time — about Tucker Carlson’s perverted conspiracy on Jan. 6.” theory was “b******t.”‘
“After losing the election, President Trump sparked an uprising that sought to undermine our constitutional process.”
Rivera had many times criticized the former Fox host’s downplaying of the violent Capitol riots as “nothing more than a political protest that got out of hand” as “incendiary and outrageous and unconfirmed.”
Gutfeld responded to his social media post, writing, “You are a class act Geraldo. A real man of the people.’
That’s what a Fox News insider speculated The everyday beast that Gutfeld may have played a role in Rivera’s alleged removal.
However, other sources within the network claimed that Rivera was never on the show’s calendar to begin with, and that Tarlov and Ford were always meant to be in the “liberal” seat this week.
Rivera didn’t respond to Gutfeld’s comment until more than a week later on May 4, where he wrote, “Thank you @GregGutfeld for your kind comments.”
Rivera hasn’t appeared on The Five since April 21, the same day as Carlson’s last airing
He had gotten into an on-air shouting match with co-host Greg Gutfeld in April
Rivera shares the “Liberal” seat with Jessica Tarlov and former Congressman Harold Ford Jr
Rivera had been sparring with Gutfeld during a panel discussion about electric vehicles earlier on the air, when Rivera told his colleague to “stop pointing fingers at me.”
He then called Gutfeld an “abusive punk” in an argument over abortion rights and repeatedly lashed out at Israel amid 2021 Middle East violence.
However, the Emmy award-winning journalist, who hosted the daytime talk show Geraldo and appeared on Celebrity Apprentice for more than a decade, was a longtime supporter of Donald Trump’s presidency — before suing him after the Capitol riots.
In December 2020, he said he had supported Trump for four years as the president was “attacked by left-wing creeps who invoked the Russian hoax to destroy his presidency.”
Rivera started out as a local New York journalist in the early 1970s, but his revelation of the horrific conditions at a Staten Island facility that housed children and adults with developmental disabilities made him a national name.
He also ran a special opening of mobster Al Capone’s vault in the basement of a Chicago hotel.
The safe was empty, but the spectacle attracted a large audience.
From there, he ran his own syndicated show, Geraldo, for nearly 11 years and had a nightly talk show on CNBC from 1994 to 2001, when his then-boyfriend Roger Ailes brought him to FOX.
In 2021, Rivera signed a new multi-year deal with FOX to serve as a correspondent at large.
As part of that contract, he would host a new show for the FOX Nation streaming service, Cops: All Access, a recap and retrospective program for Cops.
“My two decades at FOX have been action-packed and encompassed everything from war to natural disasters, epidemics and urban unrest,” Rivera said in a statement at the time.
Now as a correspondent in general, I’m more focused on reporting and commentary for shows like FOX and Friends and The Five, and it’s fantastic.
“Despite all this, I am proud of my colleagues and deeply appreciate their professionalism and continued support.”