A senior Fox News executive has exited the company following an investigation into violation of business conduct.
John Finley, who had been executive vice president of development, had been with the network for more than 20 years.
“Fox News Media and John Finley have parted ways after an independent investigation concluded that he had violated certain standards of business conduct,” said a Fox News spokesperson. The company did not elaborate, but The Washington Post, citing an unnamed source familiar with the investigation, reported that it had to do with the use of his position to benefit someone over whom he had influence. Finley did not respond to a request for comment.
Finley played a large role in the launch of Fox Nation, the network’s subscription streaming service, in 2018, and previously helped create some of Fox News’s signature shows, including its top rated series The Five, as well as Hannity, Outnumbered, and The Greg Gutfeld Show. He also was an executive producer for Hannity & Colmes and Hannity’s America. He went on to oversee development of The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton and Life Liberty & Levin.
In 2019 he was elevated to EVP of development, and had oversight of Fox Nation. In 2021, Jason Klarman was named president of the streaming service, taking over all operations, content and subscription acquisition, while Finley continued to develop shows for the streaming service, as well as feature films.
In 2019, Fox News confirmed a report that Finley was investigated in 2011 after an allegation of misconduct but cleared following a Human Resources investigation after no evidence was found to back up the claim. The Post was the first to report on Finley’s exit.
