• An email from Rupert Murdoch said Kimberly Guilfoyle was fired from Fox due to "inappropriate behavior."
  • In 2020 reports emerged suggesting she had faced a sexual harassment accusation from a female assistant.
  • Murdoch's email was revealed as part of Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox.

Fox News Chairman Rupert Murdoch appeared to confirm that Kimberly Guilfoyle was fired from Fox News because of "inappropriate behavior," adding weight to previous reports that she was ousted over sexual harassment allegations.

The email from Murdoch was revealed in a trove of private communications between Fox employees that have surfaced as part of Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against the network, East Bay Times reported.

Murdoch criticized rival channel Newsmax as "not good people" and "desperate for money" as they were being advised by Guilfoyle, who he said he "insisted we fire for inappropriate behavior."

In the email, sent in the wake of the 2020 election, the 91-year-old media mogul mistakenly refers to her as "Kimberly Strassel," an opinion writer for the Wall Street Journal, but is clearly referring to Guilfoyle calling her "Don jr's girlfriend." Guilfoyle, 54, has been in a relationship with former President Donald Trump's eldest son since 2018.

In 2020, both Huffpost and The New Yorker reported that Guilfoyle, who worked for Fox from 2006 to 2018, was forced out after she faced a sexual harassment accusation from a female assistant.

The reports said that Fox had been in the midst of a year-long investigation into the allegation when she left.

Kimberly Guilfoyle talks on phone in a casual outfit
Kimberly Guilfoyle during the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 31, 2022.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Before the reports, it was widely believed that Guilfoyle's exit from Fox was due to her wishing to avoid any potential conflicts of interest arising from her relationship with Donald Trump Jr.

The New Yorker report, based on the complaint and interviews with sources, said that the assistant's allegations included that she was frequently made to work from Guilfoyle's apartment while the Fox host "displayed herself naked" and that Guilfoyle showed her photographs of the genitalia of men she'd had sexual relations with.

The allegation resulted in Fox News agreeing to a $4 million dollar out-of-court settlement, according to the report.

Guilfoyle previously denied any wrongdoing, and a lawyer representing her told the magazine that "any suggestion" she had "engaged in misconduct at Fox is patently false."

Representatives for Fox News and Kimberly Guilfoyle were not immediately reachable for requests for comment from Insider.