Fox News is one of the biggest names in cable news, but it has been making some pretty ugly headlines in recent months. The network first lost former CEO Roger Ailes and longtime host Bill O'Reilly in sexual harassment scandals, and now co-president Bill Shine has been ousted as well. The big changes behind the scenes have evidently left host Sean Hannity considering a departure as well.
Sean Hannity is "contemplating" leaving Fox News, according to Deadline. Sources indicate that Hannity was not expecting events to go down the way they did with regard to the other recent departures, and he feels "betrayed" by the way Bill O'Reilly's big exit was handled. As Hannity is the last man standing from the Fox News primetime roster from this time last year, his departure would be a huge blow to the network.
The news that Sean Hannity is putting some thought into leaving Fox News might not come as a huge surprise to any who follow him on social media. Bill Shine was the producer on Hannity before he landed the co-president position, and Hannity spoke up in defense of him on Twitter last week, using the hashtag #Istandwithbill while tweeting articles about Shine's rumored ousting. He even went so far as to say that Shine being forced out would mark "the total end of the FNC as we know it" and that somebody high up at the network was "trying to get an innocent person fired." Hannity was very public in his support for Bill Shine; his image might suffer if he sticks around at Fox News in light of Shine getting the boot.
Still, it's somewhat hard to imagine a Fox News lineup without Sean Hannity, especially in the wake of on-screen personalities like Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelley (who made the move to NBC) taking their leave. It should be interesting to discover if Hannity cools down and decides to stay at Fox News or if he really intends to take his talents elsewhere. Since he doesn't have an air of sexual harassment scandal around him, he almost certainly wouldn't have trouble landing a new job.
We'll have to wait and see what happens next with regard to Fox News. A lot may depend on ratings and what the network might do to try and keep Sean Hannity on board. We can be sure that everybody at Fox News is anxious to avoid another scandal. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere guide and our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well.
UPDATE: Following the reports of Sean Hannity's rumored eagerness to leave Fox News, the pundit tweeted out that he would be discussing the issue on his nightly series, with the implication that it was all untrue.
