Rupert Murdoch vows Fox News without Ailes is still Fox

21st Century Fox announced that Ailes will step down from his position at Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network and on an interim basis, Rupert Murdoch will replace him.

The allegations provided a foundation for owner Rupert Murdoch sons, Lachlan, 44, and James, 43, to press for Ailes’s ouster, according to people at Fox and 21st Century Fox. “Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years”.

The resignation comes just over two weeks after former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson accused Ailes of sexual harassment, though Ailes has strongly denied the allegations, claiming they were retaliatory for the network’s decision not to renew her contract.

Since the allegations by Carlson became public – she filed a suit in a New Jersey Superior Court on July 6 – reports have emerged of other women who have worked with Ailes in the past also saying that he sought sexual favors in return for employment.

Fox News CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes and his wife, Elizabeth Tilson, leave the News Corp. building in NY on Tuesday. Ailes’s agreement includes a noncompete clause that prohibits him from starting a competing video product, the person said.

Attorneys for Carlson saluted her “extraordinary courage” and said Ailes’ exit represented a “seismic shift in the media world”.

“We hope that all businesses now understand that women will no longer tolerate sexual harassment and reputable companies will no longer shield those who abuse women”, lawyers Nancy Erika Smith and Martin Hyman said in a statement.

NEW YORK (AP) – Fox News Channel is minus founding leader Roger Ailes but not its direction, Rupert Murdoch vowed.

The resignation of Roger Ailes marks a swift downfall for Ailes, who advised several US Republican presidents including George Bush and who turned Fox News into the most-watched US cable news channel.

“I am personally committed to ensuring that Fox News remains a distinctive, powerful voice”, he added.

“I shed mine a couple of days ago, when the story started to come out, that made this day seem like it was likely”, Wallace continued.

Trump, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment on Ailes on Thursday. The Murdoch sons may also seek to make a statement by reaching outside the current Fox News culture.

Before the claims, Fox’s sheer success had insulated Ailes despite some previous scrapes with the Murdoch sons over who he would report to.

Greta Van Susteren, host of “On the Record”, said Murdoch has made everyone feel “really good” about the transition: “He’s not changing anything”.

After this latest revelation, 21st Century Fox launched an internal investigation and Ailes received an ultimatum from the corporate lawyers to resign before August 1 or be fired for justifiable cause. Fox mixed daily news reporting and nightly conservative opinion in ways that many critics found to be damaging to American discourse. “Our talented Fox News and Fox Business colleagues, up and down the organization and on both sides of the camera, have built something that continues to redefine the cable news experience for millions of viewers”.