On Friday, Fox News announced they no longer employed journalist Eric Bolling, amid sexual misconduct claims against him. Hours later on Friday night, his son Eric Chase Bolling died.
Eric Bolling worked with Fox News for at least ten years and was one of the hosts of the television program Fox News Specialists.
In August, the network suspended Bolling, when a HuffPost journalist Yashar Ali reported that Bolling sent female colleagues lewd text messages. He filed a US$50-million lawsuit against Ali, alleging defamation. On Friday, Fox News announced Bolling had left. They are also cancelling Fox News Specialists.
Hours later, Bolling’s son and only child Eric Chase, a University of Colorado Boulder sophomore, died. A family friend said the boy would be autopsied as the cause of death is not yet determined. Fox News expressed their condolences as did other journalists, including CNN’s Don Lemon.
The late Roger Ailes, one of the channel founders, and another journalist Bill O’Reilly were also fired from Fox News following sexual misconduct claims against them.