‘Free At Last!’ Geraldo Celebrates His ‘Liberation’ From Fox News — Airs Complaints In CNN Interview

Former Fox News host Geraldo Rivera celebrated his “liberation” from Fox New by airing his complaints in a CNN interview and quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Free at last!”

Rivera just recently ended his relationship with Fox News in what he has characterized as a long-running conflict over his treatment by other talent on The Five, the program he co-hosted with Greg Gutfeld, among others. Since leaving, he’s been on something of a media tour to dish about his departure.

On Tuesday night’s edition of CNN Tonight, anchor Alisyn Camerota hosted Rivera for a lengthy interview that included his exit from Fox, and a little bit of reminiscing about their shared history at the network:

CAMEROTA: And we are back with Geraldo Rivera. So, Geraldo, hi great to have you. So you exited two weeks ago from Fox?

RIVERA: Is it — is it been that long?

CAMEROTA: I think so. That was in July 4th?

RIVERA: It seems like just yesterday.

CAMEROTA: It was like your last day, July 4th?

RIVERA: June 30, you’re correct.

CAMEROTA: OK, so maybe a little bit more.

RIVERA: Yeah, pretty close, pretty close.

CAMEROTA: How are you feeling?

RIVERA: Feel liberated. I feel free, free at last.

CAMEROTA: And why, why did you feel hamstrung there or, muzzled, you know?

RIVERA: Well, I — you know, you are muzzled, corporate discipline muzzles people, even if, you know, self-muzzlement if that’s a word. I felt — you know, first of all, they denied me permission to go on many shows over the course of my long career there. They have a very rigid, very controlling, kind of discipline.

CAMEROTA: But what were they afraid of? I mean, what were they afraid of that they didn’t said?

RIVERA: Oh, my flamboyance and, you know, saying things like I said about the president — former President Trump, you know that he knife the Constitution and the back. When you have that as your attitude that’s your — you know, position and you’re in a conservative milieu, you know, it’s — it’s pretty noxious to folks who believe in certain way.

I mean, it’s not my belief. I am nominally a Republican person, but I’m pro-choice, pro-immigration reform, pro-gun control. I hope to devote a lot of my post career life to working with the developmentally disabled. You know, I have lots of charity work that we do. We’re dating back, you know, half a century to my expos days.

So, you know, there’s a lot of things going on. But it was — it was a very, it’s a very rigid, very controlled atmosphere, where everyone answers to management, and management doesn’t allow beat freewheeling. They have a message, they send a talent out to do an interview, if it’s a big story in The New York Times, or this or that, they pick their spot. And they’re very strategic in that regard, very disciplined. Conservatives are much more disciplined than liberals. Liberals are all over the place. You know, like you, you say anything you want.

CAMEROTA: Feel free, in fact, yeah. But basically, what I have heard is that you started to feel that they didn’t have your back. They didn’t have your back again, they sided with the people who are not fact-based at Fox, or just sort of the out — more of the outrage machine, is that fair?

RIVERA: I don’t make judgment calls like that about other people’s careers and where they put themselves.

Watch above via CNN Tonight.