Following Matt Lauer’s bombshell firing Wednesday from NBC amid sexual misconduct allegations, a well-known Fox News host came to his defense.
>> Matt Lauer fired over allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior
“Sad about @MLauer great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me,” Geraldo Rivera tweeted later that afternoon. “News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation.”
>> See the tweet here
After receiving backlash for the tweet, Rivera went on to defend his comments.
>> Here's what to do if you are sexually harassed at work
“A jerk’s a jerk in dating. #SexHarassment should be confined to situations where superior imposes himself on subordinate who feels unable to complain because of power of perp or feared consequences to victim’s employment. Shouldn’t be used to get even w bad bosses or hated ex’s,” he wrote in one before continuing, “Heard well-regarded women in media today suggesting morning shows go to an all-female format. That should be as unacceptably retro as the other way around.”
Rivera then outlined the requirements he believes sexual harassment allegations should meet before they’re taken seriously.
>> Matt Lauer firing has people wondering what Tamron Hall, Ann Curry are up to
“#SexHarassment allegations should require: 1-made in a timely fashion-say w/n 5 yrs. 2-some contemporaneous corroboration, like witnesses, electronic or written communications. W $ settlements in multi-millions slight chance exists some victims are motivated by more than justice,” he tweeted and then added, “This issue is so red hot right now there is no room for any thought or opinion but hang em high. If News wasn’t (formerly) a flirty biz then how do we explain so many newsroom courtships that have led to happy marriages?”
Following uproar surrounding Rivera’s tweets, Fox News released the following statement:
"Geraldo's tweets do not reflect the views of Fox News or its management. We were troubled by his comments and are addressing them with him."
Late Wednesday, Rivera apologized for his comments.
>> Matt Lauer fired: A timeline of his career
"Reaction to my tweets today on #sexharassment makes clear I didn't sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem long hidden," he wrote, calling harassers "deviants who deserve what is coming to them."
>> Read more trending news
He continued: "Often victims are too frightened to come forward in a timely fashion. I humbly apologize."
>> See the apology here
Read more here.
– The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.
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