Fox News fires veteran comptroller, cites ‘abhorrent behavior’

Fox News has fired longtime comptroller Judy Slater for what the network characterized as “abhorrent behavior” after a report that she made offensive comments to African-American employees while at work.

“We take any complaint of this nature very seriously and took the appropriate action in investigating and firing Ms. Slater within two weeks of this being brought to our attention,” said a Fox News representative in a statement. “There is no place for abhorrent behavior like this at Fox News.”

A source told TheWrap.com, which first broke the story, that Slater referred to African-American women at the network as “sista” and “stereotyped African-American employees’ speech, openly complaining that they mispronounced words.”

{mosads}Slater, who is white, started at the network back in 1997. As comptroller, she was responsible for payroll, accounts payable and receivable for Fox News and Fox Business.

The news comes following an internal investigation last year surrounding allegations of sexual harassment by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson against former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes.

Ailes, 76, resigned two weeks after Carlson filed a lawsuit and an internal investigation initiated by parent company 21st Century Fox was completed.