Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Newsmax on Tuesday that he has been banned from Fox News because he helped broker a $40 million severance agreement between the cable news network and its founding architect, Roger Ailes.
Ailes, who died in 2017, stepped down as CEO of Fox News in July 2016 following allegations of sexual harassment.
“I represented Roger Ailes and got a $40 million judgment out of them when they wanted to pay him only $20 million and cheat him, and I stuck it to them,” Giuliani told “Rob Schmitt Tonight.” “And Rupert [Murdoch], who was a good friend of mine – I’ve actually stayed at Rupert’s house – put me on the blacklist as a result of that.
“They were outraged that they had to pay Roger Ailes $40 million. Roger Ailes invented Fox, and they were going to cheat him. Hey, there’d be no Fox if it [weren’t] for Roger Ailes. And Roger has been my friend, oh gosh, since my first election. He ran my first election for mayor in 1989. He [was] one of my best friends, and his wife is one of my best friends and his child. And we’re going to let them cheat Roger like that? No, not at all.”
Giuliani’s rebuke adds to a growing chorus of conservative critics who said Fox News has turned its back on the movement that made it dominant. President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and other allies have taken aim at what they called the network’s new “undercurrent” against America First conservatives.
Giuliani has repeatedly accused Fox News of marginalizing conservative voices — including his own — since the 2020 election. He told Newsmax in September the network had “completely banned” him and even left him out of its 9/11 anniversary coverage, despite his central role in New York’s recovery after the attacks.
“It’s ridiculous,” Giuliani said at the time, adding that the network had “moved to the middle, if not to the left,” and no longer represented the values of its original audience.
Trump Jr. told Newsmax on Monday that Fox News has become so biased that he no longer watches it, adding that he was once banned from the network for more than two years.
“They try so hard to be unbiased that they’re actually biased against conservatives at this point,” he said. “But this shouldn’t be surprising.”
President Trump also took aim at Fox News on Monday, telling Newsmax that the network has “an undercurrent” that works against him.
“There’s like an undercurrent that goes there,” Trump said. “Fox never gives you my numbers.”
He noted that although he still appreciates some on-air talent, “there are some people I don’t like very much.” Trump added that Fox consistently downplays his poll leads and positive coverage compared with rival networks.
Newsmax reached out to Fox News for comment.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
