Fox News recently confirmed that it has decided to part ways with longtime analyst Dick Morris. His departure follows numerous on-air ethical lapses and a long record of wildly inaccurate predictions.
New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman reported, “Inside Fox News, Morris's Romney boosterism and reality-denying predictions became a punch line.” In recent years, his now former colleagues at Fox News have called him “often wrong,” a self-promoter, and “creepy,” and a Fox News vice president publicly rebuked Morris for attempting to auction off a Fox News studio tour to benefit a local Republican group.
Here are ten Fox Newsers who have mocked or rebuked Morris:
Chris Wallace (Fox News Sunday anchor)
Wallace Reacts To The Mention Of Morris' Name: “Oh Jesus.”
MIKE GALLAGHER: If I were a neutral political observer, or political pundit, if I were --
WALLACE: If you were? I thought you were?
MIKE GALLAGHER: Not a pundit. I'm losing the -- an adviser. If I were a consultant. If I were a neutral -- if I was Dick --
WALLACE: You really don't talk very well.
MIKE GALLAGHER: I'm a little fired up about this. If I'm Dick Morris.
WALLACE: Oh Jesus.
MIKE GALLAGHER: If I'm a -- excuse me? Not a fan, are we?
WALLACE: [laughter] Anyway, go ahead.
MIKE GALLAGHER: Ohhh, that was a -- that was an unguarded moment. [Salem Radio Network, The Mike Gallagher Show, 5/21/10]
Brian Kilmeade (host of Kilmeade & Friends and Fox & Friends)
Kilmeade: “The Third Part Of Dick Morris' Analysis Was Buy My Book, Go To My Website. And That Is What Is Not Brought Up Enough.”
GRETCHEN CARLSON: But it's not as important as the independent vote, which was the second part of Dick Morris' analysis. Which was that even if you go after the Latino vote, it doesn't really matter that much, at least in 2010, because the independent vote still decides the election.
KILMEADE: And the third part of Dick Morris' analysis was buy my book, go to my website. And that is what is not brought up enough. [Fox News Radio, Kilmeade & Friends, 7/8/10]
Brit Hume (senior political analyst, former anchor of Special Report)
Hume On Morris: “Always Interesting, But I Think He's Not Always Right.”
[Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/7/11]
Hume: “Morris: Often Wrong, Never In Doubt.”
[Twitter.com, 2/14/12]
Don Imus (Fox Business' Imus in the Morning host)
Imus Labels Tony Dungy The “Dick Morris Of Sports Prognosticators” After Horribly Botched NFL Prediction.
[Fox Business Network, Imus in the Morning, 11/26/12]
Imus regularly mocks Morris, whom he has labeled “creepy,” on his Fox Business program.
Martha MacCallum (America's Newsroom co-anchor)
MacCallum On Whether Morris Is “Creepy”: “No Comment.”
DON IMUS: But last night he [Bill O'Reilly] was talking about -- I think with Dick Morris -- he's creepy, don't you think?
MACCALLUM: No comment.
Megyn Kelly (America Live anchor)
NY Mag: Kelly Relayed Joke At Morris' Expense During Rehearsal. From a December 4 report by Gabriel Sherman:
Inside Fox News, Morris's Romney boosterism and reality-denying predictions became a punch line. At a rehearsal on the Saturday before the election, according to a source, anchor Megyn Kelly chuckled when she relayed to colleagues what someone had told her: “I really like Dick Morris. He's always wrong but he makes me feel good.” [NYMag.com, 12/4/12]
Charles Lane (Fox News contributor)
Lane: “On The Bright Side For Dick Morris He Can Go Get High In Co Now Tho Apparently He Already Was When Made His Forecast.” [Twitter.com, 11/6/12]
Bill Shine (Fox News vice president)
Shine Reprimands Morris. In March 2012, Media Matters reported that Morris had been paid to speak at an event for a local Republican Party in Lake County, Florida. As part of his appearance, Morris auctioned himself off as a tour guide of Fox News headquarters. In response to the report, Fox News announced that they had “reprimanded” Morris and that the tour had been canceled (several media ethicists at this point wondered what it would take for Fox to suspend Morris). TVNewser reported of Shine and Morris:
Bill Shine, executive vice president of programming for Fox News, told TVNewser that “The tour will absolutely not take place nor would something like that have ever taken place if we were aware of it.” Shine also said he spoke with Morris yesterday and reprimanded him. We're told Morris apologized profusely and knows this was a major mistake. Additionally the tour has been canceled.
Rick Folbaum (anchor)
Folbaum Re: 39%: “Better Than Dick Morris.” Folbaum responded to a tweet about Punxsutawney Phil:
[Twitter.com, 2/2/13]
Red Eye's "Pinch" (Bill Schultz)
“Like Dick Morris But, You Know, Accurate.” According to TVEyes, the last time Morris was even mentioned on Fox News was in mid-December and it was a mocking reference made by a puppet. On the December 12 edition of Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld, “Pinch” -- a puppet that's comprised of a stack of New York Times papers and voiced by Bill Schultz -- said that Nate Silver is “sort of like Dick Morris but, you know, accurate.”