Fox News was reportedly warned in 2017 that giving Ed Henry prominent hosting roles would backfire

NPR

The Fox News anchor, who was fired this morning for "willful sexual misconduct in the workplace," was "given more prestigious roles by the network despite a colleague's warning to top executives that it could damage Fox's efforts at reforming its workplace culture," reports NPR's David Folkenflik. Folkenflik says former Fox News staffers told him Henry "aggressively pursued younger female Fox staffers, sometimes sending graphic notes or even images." In 2016, Henry was sidelined from covering the Hillary Clinton campaign after tabloids disclosed an extramarital relationship with a Las Vegas hostess. "Then-Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes was outraged because he believed it would prevent Henry from pressing the Clinton campaign about former President Bill Clinton's marital infidelities and alleged misconduct, several Fox News journalists told NPR at the time," reports Folkenflik. "Henry was removed from the White House and politics team and reassigned to the general Washington bureau. The accusation prompting his firing was lodged last Thursday by a former colleague who is represented by New York City attorney Douglas Wigdor. Fox previously paid $10 million to settle gender and racial-discrimination suits against the network on behalf of 18 other former staffers represented by Wigdor. The alleged incident that prompted Henry's firing occurred several years ago, according to one of his former colleagues. And his termination takes place nearly four years to the day that a wave of accusations of sexual harassment and coercion triggered the firing of the network's defining figure: Ailes himself." ALSO: Henry's publisher to cease publishing his book about his decision to donate part of his liver to his sister. UPDATE: Henry's attorney issued the following statement: “Ed Henry denies the allegations referenced in the Fox announcement and is confident that he will be vindicated after a full hearing in an appropriate forum.”