Fox News has faced some major changes in recent months, and the latest is the surprise departure of longtime host Greta Van Susteren. She anchored On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren for fourteen years and became one of the most recognizable names on the network. Viewers have gotten used to her coverage of current affairs, but it turns out that she has a pretty solid reason for choosing to leave Fox and On the Record. Van Susteren had this to say about her decision to move on in her career:
Yes, I have left the Fox News Channel. On Thursday night, I made my decision and informed Fox News of my decision that I was leaving Fox News Channel per my contract. Fox has not felt like home to me for a few years and I took advantage of the clause in my contract which allows me to leave now. The clause had a time limitation, meaning I could not wait.
It's hard to blame Greta Van Susteren for leaving a job if she no longer felt at home in the environment. She's a high-profile media personality who shouldn't have trouble finding a new outlet for her career. If she didn't want to remain at Fox News and doesn't necessarily need her job at Fox News, there was no reason for her to stick around in an unhappy situation. The announcement that she'd be leaving did feel somewhat abrupt, but it sounds like she was in a time crunch to make the big call.
Greta Van Susteren may have had extra motivation to leave Fox News thanks to recent events involving CEO Roger Ailes. Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes that was distinctly ugly and drew lines in the sand at Fox News. Van Susteren was one of the Fox News personalities who sided with Ailes. Rumor had it that she would consider leaving the network if Ailes got the boot. Ailes ultimately resigned, so Fox News never had to deal with the extra controversy of firing him. Still, it may have been a contributing factor to Van Susteren leaving. If her unrest has been brewing for years, the ousting of Ailes coinciding with the expiration of her contract could have been enough to drive her away from the network.
The announcement from Greta Van Susteren came via Facebook post, and she shared her decision without hinting at any deep bitterness. She was gracious about her staff, her crew, and her viewers. The only clue that she harbored any ill will toward Fox News was her comment that the network no longer felt like her home. Van Susteren didn't burn any bridges with inflammatory remarks, but she doesn't seem like she regrets her decision.
Greta Van Susteren may be gone from the airwaves for a while before she finds a new home, so be sure to check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you will be able to catch on the small screen in the near future.
