‘I Will Never Forgive’: Geraldo Rivera Reveals Who Got Him Fired From ‘The Five’

Geraldo Rivera is no longer affiliated with Fox News after two decades at the network, and he recently appeared on "The View" to air grievances about some of his former colleagues.

During the interview, Rivera mentioned that he had a "very toxic" relationship with a former co-host on "The Five," though he refrained from naming names. Unlike Tucker Carlson, who was abruptly removed from the air in late April, Rivera received a more ceremonious farewell, complete with cake and Fox personalities sporting fake mustaches.

Although he did not specify anyone, Rivera's exit followed months of heated on-air exchanges with Greg Gutfeld, as the two frequently engaged in vocal disputes.

At 79, Rivera acknowledged that he never fully aligned ideologically with Fox News. He revealed that after it became evident he could no longer continue on "The Five," the network offered him a position on a different show. However, he turned it down, refusing what he perceived as a demotion from cable news' top-rated program.

"If you fired me from the No. 1 show, then I'm going to quit. And that's basically what happened," Rivera stated.

Joy Behar, making an obvious reference to Jesse Watters, jokingly asked if the "toxic" individual was "Smeshy Shwaters."

Rivera laughed but made it clear that the person he had issues with was male.

"I thought it was very unfair that I was not judged objectively in our disputes, but rather he was always favored," he remarked.

When questioned about Judge Jeanine Pirro, Rivera clarified that he actually discovered and admired her. "Check the internet," he responded.

At another moment in the discussion, Rivera stated he could "never forgive" Carlson for his coverage of the January 6 Capitol riot, particularly his suggestion that federal agents were among the crowd that day.

Last week, Carlson appeared on Russell Brand’s podcast, where he claimed to have interviewed Steven Sund, the Capitol Police chief at the time of the riot. However, Carlson alleged that he was fired before the interview aired. He asserted that Sund corroborated his belief that federal agents were embedded within the rioters on January 6.

Carlson also commended former President Donald Trump’s stance on Ukraine, pointing out that he appears to be the only major politician in Washington opposing the war and advocating for its end.

That stance did not sit well with Rivera.

"Due respect to Tucker Carlson, but he's as full of s**t about Ukraine as he was about January 6th," he tweeted. "His smiley face doesn't change fact Russia invaded sovereign Ukraine; 1000’s are dead, including women & children, the world order is assailed and Putin is a punk."

Several Twitter users criticized Rivera’s remarks.

"Geraldo you are wrong about both… Ukraine and Jan 6th," one wrote, adding an insult: "P.S. A mustache is dirtier than a dog’s a**."

Another user commented: "Look at the man in the mirror Geraldo. America has zero business being involved in this war period. Both countries are corrupt and both leaders are corrupt but heck so is Joe Biden. This crap is going to get Americans and our children laying dead in the streets!"

One more user wrote, "I'd rather have Putin as my neighbor than you, Geraldo."

Another chimed in, followed by three laughing emojis: "Are you still around and butt-hurt that Tucker Carlson is wildly more successful than you ever thought of being?"