One of the hosts of a Fox Nation “flagship” show was quietly removed from his perch after a complaint from his co-host, sources familiar with the circumstances told The Daily Beast.
Up until several weeks ago, former pro-wrestler Tyrus was the co-host of Un-PC, a semiweekly show he described as Fox Nation’s “flagship” program, alongside conservative pundit and ex-ESPN reporter Britt McHenry.
But following Un-PC’s April 12 episode, Tyrus mysteriously disappeared.
ADVERTISEMENT
Two weeks later, a new episode featured former Red Eye host Tom Shillue as McHenry’s companion, with no explanation given for Tyrus’ abrupt absence. Shillue has remained in the co-pilot’s chair ever since.
Sources at Fox News said the former professional wrestler was removed from the show after a personal dispute with McHenry, who complained to the network about her co-host. The network subsequently investigated the complaint, but ultimately decided the best course of action was to break up the show’s hosts.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, a Fox News spokesperson said, “We do not comment on internal matters.”
Fox Nation only subtly announced Tyrus’ exit from its most-hyped show. A May 23 press release and accompanying article from the network’s media reporter noted that the ex-wrestler has a new show called NUFFSAID, while McHenry “will continue to co-host ‘Un-PC.’” Any explicit mention of Tyrus’ departure from Un-PC was omitted.
Tyrus has, however, continued to be a prominent face of the streaming service, appearing regularly across Fox News opinion shows to offer goofy commentary and promote Fox Nation, which launched late last year.
Apart from a regular gig as a sidekick on his pal Greg Gutfeld’s weekend talk show, Tyrus often provides commentary for other opinion shows like Outnumbered and The Five (also co-hosted by Gutfeld), and is frequently featured on The Daily Briefing, Dana Perino’s daytime news broadcast.
The ex-wrestler’s appearances on the Briefing were often accompanied by a chyron promoting Un-PC, and Perino introduced him as the host of the show as late as May 3. Since then, however, she has stopped, now only referring to him as a Fox Nation host or simply a Fox News contributor.
—With additional reporting by Andrew Kirell.
