Ex-Fox News co-host ousted over scandal joins Newsmax

Eric Bolling, a former co-host for the popular Fox News roundtable show “The Five” who was ousted following a report of inappropriate conduct toward former female colleagues, has joined the network’s upstart competitor Newsmax.

The Boca Raton, Fla.-based channel announced Monday that Bolling, 58, will start as a fill-in host immediately and get his own program lineup in July.

A former commodities trader, Bolling was part of “The Five” from 2010-17 and a frequent fill-in for Bill O’Reilly when he was the most-watched personality on Fox News, and Sean Hannity. He also appeared on the Fox Business Network.

Bolling was cut loose from Fox News in September 2017 following an investigation into a HuffPost report that he used his cellphone to send unsolicited pictures of male genitalia to current and former female colleagues at the network. He denied the allegations.

Just after his Fox News departure was announced, Bolling learned that his 19-year-old son Eric Chase had died from an accidental overdose of cocaine and the opioid fentanyl. Bolling set up a foundation in his son’s name to educate parents on the opioid crisis.

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Bolling is the highest-profile former Fox News personality to join Newsmax, a conservative news channel that saw its ratings surge late last year as its hosts were strident advocates of former President Trump.

Newsmax currently has former “Fox & Friends” weekend co-host Rob Schmitt and Greg Kelly, a one-time correspondent at the channel, as part of its lineup of hosts.

The channel continues to provide live coverage of Trump’s rallies and speeches that are no longer automatically carried by Fox News, CNN or MSNBC.

Newsmax ratings have come off the highs set last year. On cable, the channel averaged 147,000 viewers in prime time during May, according to Nielsen. The service can also be streamed without a pay TV subscription.