Feud at Fox: Geraldo Rivera Confesses He Had a 'Toxic Relationship' With Co-Host Prior to Exit

Geraldo Rivera opened up about his bombshell exit from Fox News on the Thursday, July 13, episode of The View.

The famed journalist decided to end his partnership with the conservative news network after more than 20 years following his firing from The Five, noting that differing ideologies and a difficult relationship with a colleague contributed to the decision.

Rivera explained he received a phone call from two executives from The Five who informed him that while he would be leaving the show, there were plenty of other options for him at the network for the remaining year and a half of his contract.

"And I said, 'Well, stuff it, if you fired me from the No. 1 show, then I'm going to quit,'" he shared. "That's basically what happened."

Adding that aside from the fact that he felt his personal beliefs did not "fit Fox" and that he "should have left" years ago, he also revealed he "had a toxic relationship with another of the cast members."

Joy Behar asked him which co-host he meant, and Alyssa Farah Griffin chimed in, "Does it rhyme with Shmesse Shwatters?" clearly referring to The Five's Jesse Watters.

Although Rivera refused to clarify, he did invite the panel to "check the internet" to find out. Undeterred, Sara Haines then questioned the seasoned reporter if the feud was the primary reason why he decided to leave the network.

"Sure, and also I thought that it was very unfair that I was not judged objectively in our disputes but rather he was always favored," he said. "I was the one — I was suspended, you know, three times."

"My appearances, I had two, three appearances scheduled weekly, then biweekly, then monthly, then they kind of disappeared," he continued. "They were canceled in the last day right before I was supposed to go on, so I was really ticked off."

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