Michael Wolff on Roger Ailes' Final Days and a Complicated Murdoch Relationship

The Hollywood Reporter ^ | May 18, 2017 | Michael Wolff

[monkapotamus]

In his view, the political showdown that was always bound to happen — which, to me, he had predicted several years before — had finally taken place, albeit uglier, and with more finality, than he had ever expected. “They got the memo,” he said, with some forbearance. “If you strike the king, you better kill him.”

By “they,” he meant Rupert Murdoch’s sons. And most particularly James Murdoch, who, two years ago, was elevated to CEO of his father’s company, who Ailes regarded as an impetuous, grandiose, self-satisfied rich kid. Wryly, he admitted bringing this feud on himself: “I made the money those kids spent. So, no, I wasn’t going to suck up to them.”

Indeed, not long before his ouster, Ailes had enraged James by going behind his back and helping to convince his father to squelch a plan for a new, temple-like 21st Century Fox headquarters that James wanted to build.

[abb]

Good for Ailes. He died with his boots on.

[catbertz]

RIP Sir. Wish you had the chance to build a new conservative network, but such is life.

[lilypad]

Rush had a real nice tribute to him yesterday. Told some good stories at the beginning of his program.

[bert]

Many at Fox had sincere tributes that included testimony how Ailes essentially reached in and dragged out qualities and abilities they didn’t know they had

Many here like to pat them selves on the back with a narrow minded self satisfied statement of not watching they network. The don’t understand that an organization parroting their very very narrow views will never be.

Roger Ailes created a wolf, a conservative news organization wearing the sheep’s clothing of fair and balanced

[Flintlock]

The writing was on the wall YEARS before.

That was when some A-rabb (MUSLIME) “investor” bought a HUGE chunk of stock. It’s been downhill ever since.