One anti-Trump news anchor may have just ended his career because of these three words
The media is facing a reckoning in the wake of the 2024 election.
The old rules of “get Trump at all cost” no longer apply.
And one anti-Trump anchor may have just ended his career because of these three words.
The fallout from ABC surrendering to Donald Trump in a defamation suit continues to roil the network.
Trump sued ABC for defamation after This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos falsely stated on multiple occasions that a jury found Donald Trump “liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit.
This wasn’t true.
And ABC ponied up a $16 million settlement – $15 million towards Donald Trump’s Presidential library and $1 in attorney’s fees – to Trump.
ABC settled rather than expose Stephanopoulos and the network to discovery where a judge ordered ABC to turn over all relevant emails and text messages to Trump’s defense lawyers.
The settlement was particularly humiliating for Stephanopoulos because it included a provision where ABC had to publicly apologize to Trump for Stephanopoulos defaming him.
And the New York Post reported that Stephanopoulos could barely contain his fury.
“ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos is “apoplectic” and “humiliated” by the network’s decision to pay $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump, the Post has learned.
Stephanopoulos, who claimed Trump had raped E. Jean Carroll during an interview with Republican lawmaker Nancy Mace, was particularly upset about being forced to apologize, a source with knowledge of the situation said,” the Post exclusively reported.
But this settlement could also mark the end of Stephanopoulos’ run with ABC News which began after leaving the Clinton White House in 1996.
The Post reported that Stephanopoulos recently inked a new deal with ABC.
However, Puck News’ Dylan Byers reported that Stephanopoulos took a pay cut to remain at ABC.
“Several insiders speculated that Stephanopoulos’s new deal includes a pay cut, and noted that he is likely to eventually take on a more limited role, after already ceding pole-anchor position on special event coverage to David Muir,” Byers wrote.
Byers also reported that ABC was looking to ease Stephanopoulos out of his anchor role on Good Morning America in favor of a lower cost replacement.
“Indeed, that is where things seem to be headed—albeit with the discretion and diplomatic finesse befitting a revered network veteran who, despite his slip-ups, has earned the right to an elegant exit,” Byers added.
Byers wrote that ABC executives are struggling with how to move on from Stephanopoulos without publicly humiliating him.
“George may be headed toward his next act as a public figure, but no one wants to be the person responsible for it,” Byers continued.
And this lawsuit settlement might provide ABC executives with the excuse they need.
