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Reactions to the death of Roger Ailes are all over the map

The past two decades saw Roger Ailes rise from obscurity into perhaps the most influential and allegedly abusive person at the intersection of American politics and media.

Colin Daileda

on May 18, 2017

Reactions to the death of Roger Ailes are all over the map

Roger Ailes speaks at the Hollywood Reporter celebration of "The 35 Most Powerful People in Media," in 2012. Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

The past two decades saw Roger Ailes rise from obscurity into perhaps the most influential and allegedly abusive person at the intersection of American politics and media.

That rise earned him rabidly loyal fans, begrudging respect from others, and an army of detractors, which is easy to see in the comments that flooded Twitter after his death was reported on Thursday.

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Ailes launched Fox News in 1996 and turned it into a megaphone for right-wing politics in the United States. He was ousted from his job as head of the network last year after former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson sued him for sexual harassment. Other women made similar accusations, and soon media outlets churned out articles on the culture of sexual harassment (and racism) that Ailes enabled as he built his network.

After news of his death broke, reactions ran the full spectrum of emotion.

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Roger Ailes ruined the lives of many women during his brief time on earth. May he be appropriately rewarded in the afterlife.
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) May 18, 2017

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Colin Daileda

Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.