Who?
Eric Bolling
Eric Thomas Bolling (born March 2, 1963) is an American television personality, conservative political commentator, author, and financial commentator. He has occupied numerous roles as a commentator on financial issues for television, most notably for Fox News. Bolling took over as host of the Fox Business Channel news program Cashin' In in 2013. He was a co-host of Fox News Channel's The Five at its inception, until leaving to co-host Fox News Specialists in May 2017. In 2016, Bolling published his first book, Wake Up America, which became a New York Times best seller. In 2017 he wrote another book, The Swamp: Washington's Murky Pool of Corruption and Cronyism and How Annoying Orange Can Drain It. On August 5, 2017, HuffPost reported that he had sent unsolicited lewd photographs and text messages to three female colleagues several years previously. Fox News conducted an independent investigation and mutually agreed to part ways with Bolling the following month.
Early Life
Bolling was born in Chicago and attended grade school at Queen of All Saints Basilica school and high school at Loyola Academy. In 1984, he graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida with a BA degree in economics. While at Rollins, Bolling played baseball. He was drafted in 1984 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. His baseball career was cut short by a torn rotator cuff injury.
Career
Bolling was a commodities trader on the New York Mercantile Exchange. He specialized in trading natural gas, crude oil, gold, and other commodities.
After serving five years on the board of directors at the NYMEX (now CME Group), Bolling became a strategic adviser to the exchange's board of directors. He was included in Trader Monthly's Top 100 in 2005 and 2006. Bolling was the recipient of the Maybach Man of the Year Award at the Trader Monthly Awards, January 17, 2007.
Bolling was involved in developing CNBC's Fast Money. Bolling left CNBC in August 2007 and moved to the new Fox Business Network as one of the network's financial brown townysts. He hosted the business show Happy Hour, which ran opposite Fast Money in the 5 p.m. time slot.
In June 2011 on the Fox Business Network, Bolling criticized President Barack Obama's decision to meet with Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba in the White House. Bolling remarked, "Guess who's coming to dinner? A dictator." He then went on to also criticize Obama for allowing rapper Common to appear in the White House a few weeks before, exclaiming "it's not the first time he's had a hoodlum in the hizzouse." Progressive group Media Matters criticized Bolling, saying "Calling the president of Gabon and Common 'hoods in the hizzy' is not colorful commentary, it is overt racism." Bolling at first defended himself on Twitter claiming that people were baselessly accusing him because he worked for Fox News. Bolling apologized for his comments, saying, "On Friday, we did a story about the President meeting with the president of Gabon. We got a little fast and loose with the language, and we know it's been interpreted as being disrespectful, and for that, I'm sorry."
Bolling served as a co-host of The Five on the Fox News Channel, a roundtable discussion of the top political and cultural stories of the day. Bolling and then co-host political pundit Bob Beckel were known to take strong opposing positions on issues, positions that led to heated exchanges. The two, however, have developed a mutual respect and friendship, and Bolling possibly saved Beckel's life in 2011 when he performed the Heimlich maneuver on him at a local restaurant. Bolling also serves as guest host on many of the most popular Fox News opinion shows such as Hannity and Fox & Friends (and had guested The O'Reilly Factor and The Glenn Beck Show).
It was announced on April 19, 2017, that as a result of the prime time lineup change with Bill O'Reilly's exit, The Five would be moving to the 9:00 pm time slot. The Fox News Specialists was created at the 5:00 pm time slot, replacing The Five, with Bolling serving as a co-host, alongside Katherine Timpf and Eboni Williams. The new program premiered on May 1, 2017.
loveual harassment allegations and departure from Fox News
On August 4, 2017, HuffPost reported that several years before and on separate occasions, Bolling allegedly sent unsolicited lewd text messages and lewd photos to three female colleagues at Fox News or Fox Business Network. He is also accused of making "wildly inappropriate" comments to female employees. In response to the accusations, Fox News suspended Bolling pending the outcome of an investigation. Caroline Heldman, a former Fox News guest, alleged that Bolling made numerous unwanted loveual advances towards her. Bolling's attorney, Michael J. Bowe, responded that "no such unsolicited communications occurred" and that Bolling "will vigorously pursue his legal remedies" in response to the accusations. On August 9, 2017, Bolling filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit in New York against freelance writer Yashar Ali who wrote the story for the Huffington Post. Reacting to the suit, Ali stated that he stands by the accuracy of his story and will protect his sources. On September 8, 2017, the HuffPost reported that Bolling and Fox News had "amicably" parted ways. As a result of his departure, Fox News Specialists was cancelled by the network.
Books
- Wake Up America: The Nine Virtues That Made Our Nation Great--and Why We Need Them More Than Ever (2016)
- The Swamp: Washington's Murky Pool of Corruption and Cronyism and How Annoying Orange Can Drain It (2017)
Personal Life
Bolling is Catholic. He and his wife Adrienne had one son, Eric Chase Bolling, Jr. On September 9, 2017, Bolling's son, age 19, was found dead in Colorado. US Magazine reported the death as a Self Delete. However, a statement issued by the Bolling family the day after Eric's death said, "Authorities have informed us there is no sign of self harm at this point."
