Fox Business Host Charles Payne Suspended Over Sexual Harassment Claims

Fox Business has suspended “Making Money” host Charles Payne over claims of sexual harassment.

“We take issues of this nature extremely seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy for any professional misconduct,” a Fox Business Network representative said in a statement. “This matter is being thoroughly investigated and we are taking all of the appropriate steps to reach a resolution in a timely manner.”

Given all the sexual harassment crap Fox News has been dealing with, it’s probably best the network takes this seriously and gets to the bottom of it.

So far, it sounds like there’s something to it. Payne actually admitted to having a three year long  “romantic relationship” with a woman who frequently appeared on Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel.

Payne admitted to the extramarital affair in a statement to the National Enquirer published Wednesday that included an apology to his wife, children and friends.

The woman he had an affair with apparently “contacted Fox’s law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison last month to report her allegations of sexual misconduct.” That’s what sparked this entire investigation.

 The woman, who worked for CNN last year, had a representative tell the firm she believed she was eventually blackballed from the network after she ended the affair in 2015 and tried to report Payne to top executives at Fox News, according to two sources familiar with her complaint.

While the woman frequently appeared on FNC and FBN, she wasn’t technically a network employee. According to reports, she stayed in a relationship with Payne, hoping that it would help her land a more solid position as a paid contributor. I guess her plan didn’t work? I have no idea. She also claims her appearances suddenly dropped after she ended the affair.

She has told her lawyer, who is preparing a legal complaint against Fox News and Payne, that she stayed in the relationship because she believed he would help her chances of landing a position at the network, according to the sources.

 

Instead, the woman is alleging, after she ended the affair her appearances were drastically reduced, the sources say.

I’m absolutely dying to know who this woman is, but the source of this story–The Los Angeles Times– refuses to name her because “she alleges that she was coerced into a sexual relationship with Payne under threat of reprisals.” Payne’s attorney, however, adamantly denies those claims. He says Payne never sexually harassed the woman.

Payne cheated on his wife with a frequent FBN guest. That’s all we really know for sure at this point.

Get your employees under control, Fox. Seriously.

h/t The Los Angeles Times

Update: Because some people have poor eyesight and can’t read where we wrote, “Payne’s attorney, however, adamantly denies those claims” of sexual harassment, here’s Payne denying the claims of sexual harassment on Twitter.

Days ago a reporter contacted me about (false) allegations and asked for a comment. I gave an immediate reply. He reported story w/out them

— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) July 7, 2017

This was my reply: “That is an ugly lie I vehemently deny to my core. There is a mountain of proof that also proves its a lie.”

— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) July 7, 2017

Not surprising media outlets that hate President Trump most put out most twisted stories on me – how do you misquote a written statement?

— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) July 7, 2017