Geraldo Rivera, a former Fox News personality, reportedly disparaged his former employer in a CNN interview on Tuesday.
In a statement on June 21, Rivera announced his resignation from the most popular “The Five” program on Fox News; he subsequently disclosed he had been fired. Rivera has spent 23 years working for the network.
On CNN Tonight, Rivera stated that he felt “liberated” and “free at last” since leaving the network.
“Did you feel hamstrung there or, muzzled, you know?” Rivera was asked by CNN host Alisyn Camerota.
“Well, I — you know, you are muzzled. Corporate discipline muzzles people, even if, you know, self-muzzlement if that’s a word. I felt — you know, first of all, they denied me permission to go on many shows over the course of my long career there. They have a very rigid, very controlling kind of discipline,” Rivera said in response.
“But what were they afraid of? I mean, what were they afraid of that they didn’t say?” Camerota asked in a follow up question.
“Oh, my flamboyance and, you know, saying things like I said about the president — former President Trump, you know that he knifed the Constitution in the back. When you have that as your attitude that’s your — you know, position and you’re in a conservative milieu, you know, it’s — it’s pretty noxious to folks who believe a certain way,” the former talk show host replied.
“I am nominally a Republican person, but I’m pro-choice, pro-immigration reform, pro-gun control. I hope to devote a lot of my post career life to working with the developmentally disabled. You know, I have lots of charity work that we do. We’re dating back, you know, half a century to my exposes.” he continued.
“It’s a very rigid, very controlled atmosphere, where everyone answers to management, and management doesn’t allow freewheeling. They have a message, they send a talent out to do an interview. If it’s a big story in The New York Times, or this or that, they pick their spot. And they’re very strategic in that regard, very disciplined. Conservatives are much more disciplined than liberals. Liberals are all over the place. You know, like you, you say anything you want.” Rivera concluded.
