The widow of the late Fox News boss Roger Ailes, who was beset by scandal, paid tribute to her husband on his birthday by berating the Murdoch family.
Elizabeth Ailes took to Twitter to post about her husband’s “heavenly birthday” on Monday morning, berating Rupert Murdoch and his family for wreaking havoc at the helm of the media giant in the six years since his death.
Ailes tweeted: “Happy birthday Roger Ailes.
“It took you 20 years to build Fox News into the powerhouse it was and only 6 years for the Murdochs to wreak havoc.
“Rupert thought he could do your job. What a joke. He’s got the checkbook, but he can never get close to your genius. REST IN PEACE.’
Widow Elizabeth took to Twitter to share a birthday message for her late husband, criticizing the Murdoch family in the process
Alongside her tweet, Ailes shared the above photo of her and her late husband
Ailes, who had been Fox News’ former chairman and CEO, died at the age of 77 eight days after falling and hitting his head in his Florida mansion in 2017.
Less than a year earlier, Ailes had been fired from the company over allegations that he had sexually harassed several female employees.
The allegations were first reported by author Gabriel Sherman in his 2014 book about Ailes, but the story didn’t gain traction until 2016.
In 2016, former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against Ailes for sexual harassment.
Carlson claimed that Ailes canceled her show when she rejected his advances.
Just a few days later, Sherman published a story with reports from six other women who had similar experiences with Ailes.
Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, subsequently hired a law firm to independently investigate the claims.
During that time, star anchor came out when Megyn Kelly came forward to say that she was harassed by Ailes early on in her career with the network.
Pictured: Ailes answers questions during a panel discussion during the Television Critics Association tour in Pasadena, California, 2006
Pictured: Rupert Murdoch specifically came under fire in a tweet from Ailes’ widow Elizabeth
The two are pictured here in January 1996 after Murdoch named Ailes the head of Fox News
In July 2016, Ailes resigned from the network, receiving a $40 million payout in the process.
It was reported at the time that Rupert Murdoch had wanted to keep Ailes as his sons James and Lachlan turned on him after seeing the ratings.
Earlier this year, former Fox employee Laurie Luhn spoke out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ailes, claiming he sexually harassed her and pressured her to perform sexual acts on him.
She said the CEO demanded she perform oral sex on him, and that he used photos and recordings he made of her to get her to keep quiet about their relationship.
Luhn received a deal with the network in 2011 for more than $3 million.
Luhn decided to file a new lawsuit against Fox News under New York’s Adult Survivors Act early this year.
The new legislation will allow the statute of limitations for next of kin to be lifted and allow them to sue alleged abusers for a year, regardless of when this occurred.
Pictured: Megyn Kelly on the set of America Live at Fox News Studios New York
Laurie Luhn (pictured) spoke on the Today Show earlier this year about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Ailes
Ailes had been chairman and CEO of Fox News before stepping down from his position
Last month, the network was forced to pay $787.5 million after a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
The voting machine company had filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against the network for “giving life” to a “fabricated storyline” about voter fraud following the 2020 election.
In the wake of that payout, the company fired their most-watched host Tucker Carlson from his role as host of Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Since then, a litany of text messages from Carlson and other hosts at Fox have leaked in the wake of the lawsuit.
One includes a text Carlson sent the day after the storming of the Capitol on January 6, in which he recalls a mob of three white men attacking an “Antifa kid” and wanting the victim killed.
Since then, Carlson has launched his own show on Twitter, while still keeping in touch with the company.