Kiran Chetry Axed From 'Fox and Friends' For Gretchen Carlson

Post Chronicle ^ | Feb 19, 2007 | Staff

[Anti-Bubba182]

In a shocking development, 'Fox and Friends' cutie Kiran Chetry has been canned. Apparently the William Morris Agency tried to play hardball with the Fox News Channel, and it struck out big time - with its client Chetry, getting axed from the network.

William Morris super-dooper-agent John Ferriter told the network to dump the unfunny and very wooden Gretchen Carlson, co-anchor of the higher-rated weekday "Fox & Friends," so that Chetry could slide into the slot.

Ferriter, who'd recently started representing Chetry, had his backstabbing request backfire on Thursday, when Fox execs fired off an irate letter to Ferriter saying they were terminating their contract with Chetry for the treachery............"

[ArmstedFragg]

Sort of semi off-point, but a sho-biz story. I worked years ago on a series that was pretty much run by one guy. When he retired, one of his underlings had his agent call the studio and tell them that the underling had been the real talent behind the series and deserved to be running the show with the attendant big pay raise. The studio's reply? "We'll get right back to you."

They then proceeded to replace the underling, and for the next three months, every time his agent called they told him they were carefully considering his offer. The underling found out he'd been dumped when the series started shooting for the fall and nobody gave him a call time for the first day.

Now, THAT'S cold!

When you tick them off, studios can be kind of mean like that.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Stupid agent......client axed : )

[ArmstedFragg]

Agent now trying to figure out how much ten percent of nothing is....

[stephenjohnbanker]

I worked in that biz as a twentysompin. By 25, I left, never looked back. But methinks the studio was rather creative on this one : )

[Anti-Bubba182]

I can believe that. Kiran's agent is getting dissed on the google searches I looked at on his name and Kiran. Kiran's agent had no leverage for that kind of hardball.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

Echo a lot of the sentiment about Kiran. Julie Banderas would be the best fit for Fox and Friends. She has fire in the belly, and great charisma like Kiran. Hopefully CNN will utilize Kiran's sparkling personality.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"...Hopefully CNN will utilize Kiran's sparkling personality."

Maybe replace Paula Zahn. Her ratings are crap anyway, they really can't lose.

[Brimack34]

She was Miss Minnesota. She played a mean violin. And she did not look as good as she does now. Age or surgery?

[Azzurri]

Free Kiran!

[B-Chan]

Patti Ann Brown will always be my favorite Fox News Fox. She has a pleasant on-air persona, she's a genuine scholar (B.S. Fordham, M.A. summa cum laude New York Institute of Technology), and she boasts an impressive reportorial resume.

She's quite easy on the eye, as well — but as a married man and a father, perhaps I shouldn't notice.

[B-Chan]

Browne, not "Brown". Lo siento mucho.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Patti Ann Brown is lovely, but Kiran had better Chemistry for Foz and Friends. Too Bad her agent overplayed her hand.

[Nam Vet]

Patti Ann Yum-Yum has been my lil darlin' for years now.

Nam Vet

[B-Chan]

Hey! I call her that, too!

[Al Simmons]

Kiran Chetry may be a nice gal, but she ain't worthy of shining Gretchen Carlson's shoes.

Anyone who can't understand that statement needs a pair of glasses. Carlson will always be the ONLY Miss America that I remember. Don't know a single other one. But I remember her.

I guess I'd better switch on Fox in the AM.

[Al Simmons]

I fail to 'get' what so many dudes see in Patti Ann Brown.....she's...well, to quote an old SCTV skit.....

...soooo PLAIN....

[ArmstedFragg]

Apparently nobody ever explained to him that first you LOOK at the hand, then you play it.

[Mark-in-Kentucky]

I fail to 'get' what so many dudes see in Patti Ann Brown.....she's...well, to quote an old SCTV skit.....

...soooo PLAIN....

I'm inclined to agree, I'm afraid. And the couple of times I caught her sitting in on Fox & Friends, she seemed almost afraid to talk. I don't believe she's comfortable with the whole chatty folksy thing.

On Kiran: Yeah, it sucks. Watching her on CNN, I think she's going to miss the looser atmosphere of Fox.

[ReignOfError]

I agree Gretchen sucks, but after what Kiran's agent pulled I don't see how this gets fixed.

Yeah. Trying to negotiate a bigger paycheck is the name of the game, but working behind closed doors to get a colleague fired is way over the line. Whether it works or not, and whether she knew what the agent was doing or not, if it hit the rumor mill inside FNC, it would destroy morale, and everyone would be looking over their shoulders. You can't let that kind of thing stand.

[Blackirish]

Really old news ..lots of threads...that's what "search news" is for.