Update: After he was suspended for allegedly sending inappropriate texts to female coworkers, Fox News host Eric Bolling maintained his innocence. He wrote in a tweet Monday morning, "Overwhelmed by all the support I have received. Thank you. I look forward to clearing my name asap."
This story was originally published on August 6, 2017.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Fox News confirmed that host Eric Bolling has been suspended following reports that he sent unsolicited lewd text messages to at least three women colleagues. A network spokesperson told EW that Bolling "has been suspended pending the results of an investigation, which is currently underway."
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On Friday, the Huffington Post broke the story, citing a dozen sources who had either directly received the messages, seen the messages, or been told about the messages. The texts were reportedly sent a few years ago to at least three different women that Bolling worked with at both Fox News and Fox Business, and contained images of male genitalia.
Bolling, whose contract at Fox News was recently renewed, has been at the networks since 2007 when he left CNBC. He is one of the hosts of the show The Specialists, alongside Eboni K. Williams and Katherine Timpf. Previously, he was one of the hosts on The Five and filled in for Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity at times. He is also the host of Cashin' In on Fox Business, and has written two books, Wake Up America: The Nine Virtues That Made Our Nation Great--and Why We Need Them More Than Ever and The Swamp: Washington's Murky Pool of Corruption and Cronyism and How Trump Can Drain It.
In a statement to EW, Bolling's attorney, Michael J. Bowe, said, "The anonymous, uncorroborated claims are untrue and terribly unfair. We intend to fully cooperate with the investigation so that it can be concluded and Eric can return to work as quickly as possible."
Fox News has found itself in the middle of several sexual harassment scandals in recent years. In July 2016, longtime CEO Roger Ailes resigned following accusations of harassment by at least seven women, including Gretchen Carlson (in a lawsuit) and Megyn Kelly (in her memoir). Earlier this year, host Bill O'Reilly left the network after the New York Times revealed that at least five women had privately settled harassment lawsuits against him. There have been numerous other lawsuits regarding gender discrimination and harassment, as well as a class-action racial discrimination lawsuit against the network filed earlier this year.