Bob Beckel, a former Democratic strategist, was fired Thursday as a co-host from Fox News’s popular “The Five” program.
The news was first reported by the media news site Mediaite.com.
Shortly after the news broke, Beckel posted a message for his 98,000 followers on Twitter promoting an upcoming book release. “Will send you info on Fox status, in the meantime my book ‘I Should Be Dead’ out on Nov. 3,” the tweet said. “You could help me by preordering on Amazon.com.”
Beckel’s book, “I Should Be Dead: My Life Surviving Politics, TV, and Addiction,” is set for release in the fall. The publisher, Hachette Books, did not respond to a request for comment.
The split between Beckel and Fox was apparently not amiable.
In a statement to Politico, Fox News Executive Vice President of Programming Bill Shine accused Beckel of holding the show “hostage.”
“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.”
Beckel was last on “The Five” in February, but was off the air in the months following. Fox News and Beckel said it was due to having surgery, though rumors have swirled that Beckel, an admitted alcoholic and former drug addict, had relapsed into drug dependency. Fox confirmed in April that Beckel had entered rehab for addiction to pain killers.
Beckel was a standout personality on Fox, for being one of the network’s pro-Democratic Party voices and for his controversial commentary, which was sometimes deemed offensive, racist and sexist.
