Britt McHenry’s lawsuit against Fox News, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation by her one-time Fox Nation co-host Tyrus, has been voluntarily dismissed by her legal team.
According to two sources familiar with the matter, McHenry has settled with Fox News—likely with a nondisclosure agreement and undisclosed cash settlement—and will leave the network.
“I am very proud to have to stood up for my rights and hope that I have empowered other women to do the same,” McHenry told The Daily Beast in a statement. “Although I fully stand by the truth of my allegations, I am pleased to put this matter behind me and move forward with my career.”
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Based on her settlement with Fox News, McHenry will leave the network and Fox Nation, the network’s online streaming service. She will still maintain her position with local Washington, D.C. affiliate FOX 5, where she serves as an on-air analyst.
“While FOX News is confident it would have prevailed in the lawsuit, we are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation,” Fox News Media said in a separate statement.
Tyrus, a former professional wrestler whose real name is George Murdoch, was accused by his one-time Fox Nation co-host McHenry of sexually harassing her and then taking retaliatory actions after she complained about his behavior. In her lawsuit, McHenry also alleged the network purposely sidelined her while protecting and promoting Tyrus even after her claims went public.
“Tyrus is pleased that the parties have reached a settlement in which the claims against him will be dismissed with prejudice," attorney Tom Clare said in a statement. “Tyrus continues to dispute and deny the allegations made against him in the lawsuit and, consistent with that view, will not be making any financial payments.”
A federal judge previously denied Tyrus’ motion to deny late last year, ruling that McHenry’s litigation against the ex-wrestler, Fox Nation executive producer Jennifer Rauchet, and Fox News could move forward. Fox News, meanwhile, maintained throughout the proceedings that McHenry’s allegations were “without merit.”
While McHenry has been almost completely absent from Fox News airwaves since filing her lawsuit in late 2019, Tyrus has remained a fixture on the network, regularly appearing on shows hosted by Fox News stars Greg Gutfeld and Dana Perino.
After Gutfeld scored a late-night “comedy” show on Fox News earlier this year, replacing Shannon Bream at 11 p.m. on weeknights, Tyrus became one of his regular co-panelists, effectively securing a promotion in the process. On top of that, the former pro-wrestler has occasionally popped up on weekday panel programs The Five and Outnumbered.
In a somewhat awkward appearance on Outnumbered in March, Tyrus was asked to weigh in on the sexual-harassment scandal surrounding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Neither the other hosts nor Tyrus himself disclosed that he was dealing with his own sexual-harassment litigation at the time.
—Diana Falzone was an on-camera and digital reporter for FoxNews.com from 2012 to 2018. In May 2017, she filed a gender discrimination and disability lawsuit against the network and settled, and left the company in March 2018.
