Roger Ailes Emmys In Memoriam Controversy Angry Tweets

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We lost so many luminaries in the past year — Carrie Fisher, Nelsan Ellis, and Gwen Ifill, to name a few. As Christopher Jackson sung Stevie Wonder's "A's," the Emmy Awards In Memoriam segment honored those individuals who passed away in the year since the 2016 ceremony. Then, the otherwise beautiful commemoration hit a snag: Roger Ailes.

Roger Ailes, the man who shaped Fox News into what it is today, passed away in May 2017. Before founding the network in 1996, Ailes spent years working in entertainment, and made a brand out of sensationalizing news. Matt Taibbi of The Rolling Stones claimed in an editorial following Ailes' death that, "The presidency of Donald Trump wouldn't have been possible had not Ailes raised a generation of viewers on [Fox's] paranoid storylines."

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Even more concerning, Ailes was also accused of sexual harassment in multiple instances throughout his 50+ year career. After Fox and Friends host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against Ailes in July 2016, nine other women, including Megyn Kelly, came forward with their own personal accounts of harassment. A further 20 women privately accused Ailes of workplace harassment.

When Ailes died in May 2017, many had a reaction right out of The Wizard of Oz — ding dong, the witch is dead.

Roger Ailes has died. Another proud Confederate monument taken down this week. Smdh.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) May 18, 2017

Twitter was equally savage regarding Ailes' inclusion in the In Memoriam segment.

The first time I ever saw someone in the In Memoriam and thought "GOOD!" was when they showed Roger Ailes.
— Brian Moylan (@BrianJMoylan) September 18, 2017

RT if you threw something at yr TV when Roger Ailes came up in the "In Memoriam" montage
— Andi Zeisler (@andizeisler) September 18, 2017

Roger Ailes is probably the person most responsible for the current toxicity of our political landscape. #Emmys shouldn't have honored him.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) September 18, 2017

Given his legacy, many questioned why Ailes was included in the lineup, and not someone like comedian Charles Murphy.

The #Emmys including Roger Ailes in the in memoriam segment was interesting to say the least. They always leave people out..why include him?
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) September 18, 2017

So yall just gon leave Charlie Murphy out of the In Memoriam segment but leave Roger Ailes in?? How trashy! #Emmys pic.twitter.com/AqwvJqU3Ps
— TheMixxTV (@The_MIXXTV) September 18, 2017

Tonight's Emmys have certainly been political. While they've roasted Trump, they've also featured Sean Spicer and Roger Ailes.

Perhaps this tweet says it best.

Roger Ailes was a sexual predator. Sean Spicer is a big fat liar. Do better #Emmys #Emmys2017
— Rebecca Schreier (@rkschrei) September 18, 2017

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