His resignation from the network, where he served as CEO for 20 years, comes in response to reports that as many as 20 current and former employees, including stars like Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly, had accused him of sexual harassment and sexually inappropriate behavior. Ailes’s record of misogyny and sexual harassment goes back decades—in Gabriel Sherman’s bio The Loudest Voice in the Room, for example, a former producer accused Ailes of offering her a raise in exchange for sex.
Ailes’s departure has been inevitable since earlier in the week, when it became clear that no member of the Murdoch family was willing to shield him from the allegations. But it’s still shocking: Ailes is synonymous with Fox News, and it’s incredibly difficult to imagine one without the other. Rupert Murdoch has assumed the role of chairman and CEO of Fox News and Fox Business.