‘Dumpster Fire’: Newsmax’s New Streaming Service is a Rogues’ Gallery of Disgraced TV Stars

On Wednesday, Newsmax announced the launch of a paid subscription service called Newsmax+, as well as a free streaming channel called Newsmax2. The launch marks the conservative news outlet’s first real foray into the world of streaming, a road cable news networks have cautiously sought to tread as the linear industry faces a steady decline.

Yet the roster of hosts that will fill out Newsmax’s new streaming lineup has sparked consternation internally, according to multiple Newsmax staffers who spoke with Mediaite on the condition of anonymity.

According to one veteran staffer, Newsmax2, or N2, will air some original programming “but largely radio simulcasts, which is what Newsmax itself was when we first launched as a network before all the original programming was developed.”

“There are some traditional shows on Newsmax2, like John Bachman’s show but the rest are largely radio simulcasts for people like Todd Starnes,” they said. The radio simulcasts will broadcast like a television program, “similar to how Don Imus’ show was when it was on the Fox Business Network.”

One of the hosts fronting this new endeavor is Ed Henry, who was a star Fox News reporter before he was fired by the network after a former producer, Jennifer Eckhart, accused him of sexual misconduct. She later sued Henry, alleging rape, and the lawsuit is ongoing. Mediaite reported earlier this year that Henry had a messy departure from his previous employer, Real America’s Voice, and that his potential hiring at Newsmax was sparking protests from staff.

Now, Henry is hosting a show on N2. The Briefing will air from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. weeknights, the network announced Wednesday.

Henry isn’t the only scandal-plagued media personality joining N2. Former Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, who was fired in 2021 over allegations of sexual harassment, is also on deck for his own show on the fledgling streaming service.

Two network insiders said the former New Jersey judge’s show is still in the developmental stages, having only filmed a pilot so far.

And Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York and lawyer to former President Donald Trump, whose long descent into disgrace was punctuated this year by an indictment in Georgia over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and a brutal New York Times report on his prodigious drinking, will also host a show airing on N2. America’s Mayor Live w/ Rudy Giuliani is set to air weeknights at 8 p.m. EST.

Giuliani has also been accused of sexual misconduct. A former employee is suing him for sexual assault and harassment, and submitted extremely explicit recordings of Giuliani as part of her suit. Giuliani has denied the allegations.

The veteran Newsmax staffer who spoke with Mediaite was confounded by the hiring of Giuliani amid the serious legal trouble the former mayor is presently entangled in. Newsmax itself currently faces two massive defamation lawsuits from voting tech companies Dominion and Smartmatic over lies aired about the 2020 election – lies that were promoted in large part by Giuliani, who is also facing defamation lawsuits from both companies.

“I don’t think, given his obvious legal troubles, it’s necessarily a good idea to give him a show,” the Newsmax vet said. “The last thing we need is someone as heavily involved in the legal situation regarding the 2020 election as an anchor for the company, even if it is on the lesser known sister network.”

The longtime Newsmax staffer said the hire only makes sense in terms of satisfying viewers: “Our audience does love him so it makes sense from a ratings standpoint.”

Another Newsmax employee told Mediaite that the hiring of Henry specifically has been a hot-button issue internally: “Mostly a very negative response amongst employees, predominantly female employees, to the Ed Henry hire. ‘I mean, what has he ever done in TV any way besides raping women,’ is an actual comment being said in the office.” While Eckhart’s lawsuit is ongoing, Henry has vehemently denied the allegations against him.

“It’s fair to say they are Newsmax’s B team,” the Newsmax veteran said of the N2 lineup, adding sarcastically of the dicey talent choices: “Yep, all winners.”

Another Newsmax source explained that the free streaming channel is a bid to satisfy the carriage company contracts Newsmax signed that required them to put the main channel behind a paywall online.

“It’s literally the replacement to Newsmax’s main lineup,” they explained.“When they cut their deals with Dish, DirecTV and others, they were required to stop giving away the main content for free. So Newsmax, per carriage contract, goes behind a paywall, and they replaced us with this [free] lineup. All digital.”

“The launch was delayed several months because they couldn’t get their technical issues right,” they added. “Putting together N2 was a literal dumpster fire.”

Newsmax did not respond to Mediaite’s requests for comment.