Fox Business suspends host Charles Payne amid harassment investigation

Fox Business host Charles Payne was suspended from the network Thursday night pending a sexual harassment investigation.

Payne, who hosts “Making Money” on Fox Business, was suspended pending “further investigation” of sexual harassment charges after his show Thursday, a network spokesperson confirmed to The Hill.

“We take issues of this nature extremely seriously and have a zero tolerance policy for any professional misconduct,” the network wrote in a statement.

“This matter is being thoroughly investigated and we are taking all of the appropriate steps to reach a resolution in a timely manner.”

The allegations were originally reported in the Los Angeles Times, and Payne recently admitted to a three-year “romantic relationship” with a married Fox News guest who alleges she was “banned” from the network after ending the relationship.

According to two sources, the woman, who was never an employee of Fox News, attempted to report Payne’s sexual harassment to top executives, who “blackballed” her from the network after her allegations were made.

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Payne’s lawyer told the LA Times that he “categorically denies” the allegations.

The allegations toward Payne, who has been with Fox Business since the network launched in 2006, come at a bad time for the network and its sister network, Fox News. In April, Fox News fired longtime host Bill O’Reilly over sexual harassment allegations.

In July of last year, Fox News’ former CEO Roger Ailes was ousted after similar allegations from former host Gretchen Carlson. 

According to a statement from Fox Business, a rotating group of anchors will fill in for Payne while the network investigates the sexual harassment allegations against him.