Democrat stalwart and hooker enthusiast Bob Beckel has been let go by Fox News after having checked himself into rehab.
Bob Beckel, a Fox News host who has struggled with prescription drug addiction, was let go Thursday in a move that a top executive blamed on Beckel’s “personal issues.”
Beckel, a former Democratic consultant who had become the most prominent left-leaning voice at the conservative cable news outlet, had been off the channel for several months. In March, Fox News said that Beckel was off the air recovering from back surgery. Beckel said on Twitter at the time that he hoped to return soon to “The Five,” Fox’s highly rated evening panel show on which he often served as the lone liberal commentator.A month later, the channel released a statement indicating that Beckel had checked into a rehab facility to receive treatment for a prescription drug addiction.
The addiction appears to have been a factor in Fox’s decision to part ways with Beckel. Bill Shine, the channel’s executive VP of programming, said that patience with Beckel had run out at the channel.
“We tried to work with Bob for months, but we couldn’t hold The Five hostage to one man’s personal issues,” Shine said. “He took tremendous advantage of our generosity, empathy and goodwill and we simply came to the end of the road with him.”
Although he annoyed the hell out of me at times, I have to admit I’ll miss the guy. He was a good foil for the conservatives at the Five.
He doesn’t tweet much, he only had this to say today:
will send u info on Fox status in meantime my book I Should Be Dead out on Nov 3 u could help me by preordering on http://t.co/ICEjgf61tN
— Robert G Beckel (@RobertGBeckel) June 25, 2015