Geraldo Rivera joins NewsNation

Geraldo Rivera has signed on as correspondent at large for NewsNation, Nexstar Media Group’s cable news offering.

Rivera was let go from Fox’s “The Five” in June 2023 after joining it the year before. He had been with Fox since 2001, when he jumped to the network from CNBC to cover the war in the Middle East. 

On “The Five,” Rivera was considered the “liberal” member of the panel, pitted against four conservatives. His time on “The Five” appeared to drawing to an end when he an co-host Greg Gutfeld got into several high profile on-air spats. 

Rivera never confirmed that Gutfeld was the reason for his departure from the show.

At the time he left “The Five,” he indicated he intended to remain a correspondent at large, the same title he got at NewsNation, until his contract expired in 2025. 

It would appear, however, that Fox has released him from his contract early and are permitting him to appear on a competitor after roughly eight months on the bench, though terms of his exit from the network were not announced. 

Rivera’s first NewsNation appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, during “Cuomo” at 8 p.m. eastern.

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

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That announcement seems to indicate Rivera will be serving in more of an analyst or contributor role and it’s possible that Rivera, who is 80, is looking at his new role as a part-time gig.

NewsNation has become a landing place for multiple TV personalities, including some who have exited other outlets surrounded by controversy, including “Cuomo” host Chris Cuomo, who was fired from CNN in December 2021 after an investigation alleged he inappropriately advised his brother, then New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on media relations and crisis management issues.

Hosts Leland Vittert and Connell McShane are also former Fox staffers, though their departures were less dramatic. Dan Abrams worked at NBC and Ashleigh Banfield was at MSNBC, NBC, CNN and, most recently, HLN before joining NewsNation. 

Former ABC News anchor Elizabeth Vargas is also at NewsNation.