The host reportedly 'stormed out' of his office on Tuesday, May 16, when a black IT technician came to do a work on his computer, saying he was leaving because the staffer was black.
- May 20, 2017
AceShowbiz - Less than five months after returning, "The Five" co-host Bob Beckel is dropped by Fox News Channel for the second time. "Bob Beckel was terminated today for making an insensitive remark to an African-American employee," said FNC representative in a statement on Friday morning, May 19.
FNS refused to elaborate the background of the incident. However, the incident reportedly happened on Tuesday, May 16. Douglas Wigdor, the employee's lawyer, revealed that the host had "stormed out" of his office on Tuesday when the technician staffer came to do a work on his computer. Beckel was allegedly leaving because the employee was black. The staffer made a complaint that night and after an internal investigation, the cable news giant decided to fire Beckel.
Wigdor also claimed that Beckel intimidated his client in attempt to make his client withdraw his complaint in a meeting on Friday with Fox executive Kevin Lord. However, Fox disputed the accusation and said that Beckel had apologized to the employee after he was fired.
It is hardly the first time for Beckel to make insensitive remarks. He once called a "The Bachelorette" star a "s**t," cat-called a viral video star and used the term "Chinamen" in a segment about Chinese hackers.
Beckel had only returned to Fox this January. He was previously let go in June 2015 while dealing with substance abuse. "We tried to work with Bob for months, but we couldn't hold 'The Five' hostage to one man's personal issues," said Bill Shine, who was then the network's executive vice president of programming, in a statement at the time. "He took tremendous advantage of our generosity, empathy and goodwill and we simply came to the end of the road with him," he continued.
