Geraldo Rivera takes new TV role with NewsNation after departure from Fox News

Former Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera has bagged a new television gig, months after announcing his departure from the network. 

NewsNation announced Wednesday that Rivera will join “the channel as correspondent-at-large, effective immediately,” appearing in both daytime and primetime programming across the network. 

“Geraldo is a legendary journalist whose talent and experience is unrivaled in the industry. We look forward to him joining the network and providing our viewers with his one-of-a-kind analysis,” Michael Corn, president of news at NewsNation said in a statement.

Rivera echoed a similar sentiment made by NewsNation, saying he was “delighted” to be joining such a terrific team. 

The return to cable news comes nearly nine months after he was ushered off the air with cake and balloons, initially reporting that he had been fired from popular Fox News show “The Five.” Rivera told The Associated Press that he had decided to quit the show amidst “growing tensions.”

Fox News, however, said at the time the station “reached an amicable conclusion with Geraldo over the past few weeks,” celebrating his departure on the June 30 broadcast of Fox & Friends. 

Who is Geraldo Rivera?

Rivera has worked in television news for 50 years, starting his career in journalism at WABC-TV in New York. He has worked for a number of cable news networks over the years, including Fox News, ABC News and now NewsNation.

He has extensive experience covering the news, reporting on the Iraq War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Michael Jackson trial, the Scott Peterson case, and numerous natural disasters including Hurricane Katrina, notes a release from NewsNation.

Rivera worked as an attorney and as a philanthropist before diving into television, raising funds for various organizations assisting the disabled, the release states. He also has hosted his own talk show, written a handful of books and won journalism awards.

When will Geraldo Rivera first appear on NewsNation?

Rivera’s first on-air appearance will be on “CUOMO,” a NewsNation television program hosted by former CNN broadcast anchor and attorney Chris Cuomo on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET. 

Why did Geraldo River leave Fox News?

Days before the Fox News sendoff, Rivera told the AP that there had been  “a growing tension that goes beyond editorial differences and personal annoyances and gripes” that made working on the show no longer worth it to him.

He also said leaving “The Five,” a show tasking him with discussing the news of the moment with other panelists, was his choice. 

Rivera left Fox News after spending over two decades with the network, reporting and offering commentary on every issue under the sun from the capitol insurrection to electronic vehicles.

“It has been a rocky ride but it has also been an exhilarating adventure that spanned quite a few years. I hope it’s not my last adventure,” he said. 

Rivera initially told AP he had plans remain as a “correspondent at large” at Fox, with a contract that expires in January 2025. 

Rivera has had colorful exchanges with people on-air and off the air, most notably fellow panelist Greg Gutfeld, resulting in a number of suspensions during his tenure.

The kind of “friction” his role produced wasn’t something he wanted to continue to contend with, he said, adding “I’m 80 years old. I don’t want the friction. ‘The Five’ is too intimate a place and it gets too personal.”