The world of cable news is a high-stakes arena, and few networks play the game with as much intensity and controversy as Fox News. It has dominated the ratings, becoming the most-watched cable channel, but its reign has been marked by a series of high-profile scandals that have tested its foundation, toppled its biggest stars, and cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars.

From sexual harassment allegations that ended the careers of its most powerful executives and hosts to a historic defamation lawsuit that exposed how the network knowingly spread falsehoods, these events have not only defined Fox News’s history but have also sparked a national conversation about media ethics, accountability, and the very nature of truth in a polarized world. The following is a look back at the decade of disgrace that has rocked the network to its core.

The Sexual Harassment Scandals That Toppled Giants

Before the #MeToo movement became a global phenomenon, a series of women at Fox News bravely came forward to expose a culture of pervasive sexual harassment that had allegedly been enabled for years by those at the very top. The first major crack in the facade appeared in 2016 when former Fox and Friends cohost Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against then-chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. She alleged that she was fired for refusing his sexual advances, a charge Ailes vehemently denied. However, Carlson’s courage opened the floodgates. Megyn Kelly, a superstar at the network, soon corroborated the allegations, telling investigators that Ailes had harassed her earlier in her career.

The pressure became immense. Within weeks, Ailes, the man who built Fox News into a conservative media juggernaut, was given an ultimatum: resign or be fired. He chose to resign, receiving a reported $40 million severance package. His departure was a seismic event, but it was just the beginning.

The scandal’s reach extended to the network’s biggest star, Bill O’Reilly. In April 2017, The New York Times reported that O’Reilly and Fox News had paid out a staggering $13 million in settlements to five women who had accused him of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior. The revelations caused a mass exodus of advertisers, and within a matter of days, O’Reilly was ousted from the network. While the company stated that he would not be returning, they offered no further explanation. The subsequent years saw a $1 million settlement with the New York City Commission on Human Rights, which had investigated “a culture of pervasive sexual harassment and retaliation” at the network, marking the largest civil penalty ever for such violations under NYC Human Rights Law.

These scandals went beyond simple workplace misconduct; they revealed a systemic issue where power was allegedly used to intimidate and silence women. The financial settlements and public apologies were an attempt to move on, but the events forever tarnished the network’s reputation and highlighted the high cost of a toxic culture.

The Defamation Lawsuit That Exposed the Truth

Perhaps the most damaging and financially crippling controversy in the network’s history came from a source no one could have anticipated: a voting machine company. In a high-stakes legal battle that captured the world’s attention, Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Dominion alleged that the network knowingly spread false conspiracy theories that its machines had been used to rig the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump.

What followed was a pre-trial discovery process that exposed a treasure trove of internal communications. Text messages and emails from top executives and prominent hosts, including Rupert Murdoch and Tucker Carlson, revealed a stunning truth: they knew the claims about Dominion were false. Words like “outlandish,” “ludicrous,” and “crazy” were used to describe the very conspiracy theories they were broadcasting to their millions of viewers.

The internal communications made it clear that the network’s decision to continue promoting these falsehoods was driven by a fear of losing viewers to rival conservative news outlets. The network, it appeared, prioritized ratings and profit over journalistic integrity. As the trial date loomed, and with the evidence stacked against them, Fox News agreed to a staggering $787.5 million settlement, one of the largest defamation payouts in media history. The settlement was a dramatic admission of wrongdoing, even if the network’s public statement at the time was more guarded, expressing hope that the resolution would “allow the country to move forward from these issues.”

On-Air Controversies and the Fall of a Star

The network has also faced intense public scrutiny for the actions of its on-air personalities. Glenn Beck, a commentator who once claimed President Barack Obama had a “deep-seated hatred for white people,” later admitted he had “outgrown those beliefs.” In 2015, the network was forced to publicly apologize for repeatedly airing false claims about “no-go zones” in Europe where non-Muslims were allegedly banned. The on-air correction was a rare moment of public humility.

Another notable controversy involved Laura Ingraham’s mockery of Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg in 2018. She tweeted that he was “whining” about being rejected from colleges, which led to a swift and aggressive backlash from advertisers and the public. Hogg’s response, urging her to “denounce the way your network has treated my friends and I,” underscored a larger criticism of how the network often treats those with opposing viewpoints.

In 2023, the biggest story to come out of the Dominion lawsuit was the abrupt ousting of Tucker Carlson, the network’s most popular host. The firing was linked to a text message that came to light during the lawsuit’s discovery process. In the text, Carlson described a video of “a group of Trump guys” beating up an “Antifa kid.” He wrote that “it’s not how white men fight” and admitted that he found himself “rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him.” The text reportedly alarmed the network’s board members, who viewed it as a liability in the ongoing legal battles. His sudden departure sent shockwaves through the media world and marked the end of an era for the network’s primetime lineup.

Most recently, in 2024, the network was embroiled in another scandal involving one of its stars, Pete Hegseth, who had been Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary. A Washington Post report revealed that Hegseth had been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017 and had paid an undisclosed settlement to avoid a public trial. This revelation, along with a deeply troubling email from his mother that was also made public, cast a dark shadow over his credibility and the network that continues to employ him.

From its founding, Fox News has positioned itself as a network that challenges the establishment. But in its quest for ratings and influence, it has repeatedly found itself embroiled in controversies that have challenged its credibility, tested its ethics, and left a trail of high-profile departures and multi-million-dollar payouts in their wake. For a company that once prided itself on being a bulwark against the mainstream, these scandals have proven that it is far from immune to the same pitfalls it often reports on.