Author and radio host Garrison Keillor, at least for a moment, considered leaving the country after he was fired from Minnesota Public Radio amid a sexual misconduct allegation.
In a since-deleted Facebook post on Wednesday night, Keillor said he may have to leave the United States in order to walk around in public without feeling uncomfortable.
“It’s astonishing that fifty years of hard work can be trashed in a morning by an accusation. I always believed in hard work and now it feels sort of meaningless,” Keillor wrote, according to a screenshot of the post captured by the Star Tribune. “Only a friend can hurt you this badly. I think I have to leave the country in order to walk around in public and not feel accusing glances.”
In a subsequent post read by the Star Tribune, Keillor detailed what his future may hold after a conversation with his wife, suggesting that they may leave Minnesota.
“I need her and I need to have work to do and I need to live someplace where we can both be happy. I have about ten years of work to do, sitting in my computer. I want to write a couple movies, write a weekly column (preferably humorous), write a book called Gratitude. I think we should move east and leave the past behind.”
MPR announced Wednesday it had fired Keillor after allegations of inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him.
Keillor said he put his hand on a woman’s bare back, but later apologized when she recoiled.
“I meant to pat her back after she told me about her unhappiness and her shirt was open and my hand went up it about six inches. She recoiled. I apologized. I sent her an email of apology later and she replied that she had forgiven me and not to think about it. We were friends. We continued to be friendly right up until her lawyer called,” he said.
On Tuesday, Keillor dismissed a photo of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., appearing to grope a female radio show host while she was sleeping.
