Controversial opinion: not everybody on Fox New sucks all the time. Some of the Fox News anchors/journalists actually have rare moments of brilliance or journalistic integrity. It’s just that those moments get lost in the rest of the rabid right-wing messaging. While many people want Megyn Kelly to become the sole reasonable voice on the network, many others have turned to Shep Smith, the long-time Fox News anchor and glass-closeted gay man. People have “known” that Shep is gay for years now – Gawker used to write stuff about him, but so did other sites – but Shep has never really discussed it directly. Well, Shep was profiled by HuffPo for a piece declaring that he is possibly the face of post-Roger Ailes Fox News. And within the interview, Shep actually acknowledges – in a way – his homosexuality. Here’s that section:

The pain was heightened by the depth of the trust Shep Smith once had in Roger Ailes. “It’s such a wonderful place, and it’s been home forever. He was very fatherly and mentorish,” he said. “And now I know that there were other things going on here.”

Along with the rampant sexual harassment that brought Ailes down, there were also reports that he used homophobic slurs toward rivals. Though Shep rarely talks about his sexuality, he is regularly, for instance, included in Out Magazine’s Power 50 list. I asked if Ailes had ever made homophobic remarks when he was around. “No, never. He treated me with respect, just respect,” Shep said. “I wasn’t new in the business when I came here ― I’d been doing reporting for 12 years ― but I wasn’t old in it either, and he gave me every opportunity in the world and he never asked anything of me but that we get it right, try to get it right every day. It was a very warm and loving and comfortable place.”

He said that reports that Ailes had prevented him from coming out publicly several years ago were false. “That’s not true. He was as nice as he could be to me. I loved him like a father,” he said. “I trusted him with my career and with ― I trusted him and trusts were betrayed. People outside this company can’t know [how painful that betrayal was]. This place has its enemies, but inside, it was very personal, and very scarring and horrifying.”

[From HuffPo]

Shep goes on to say that Fox News should not back away from covering itself and that Fox News journalists should not shy away from talking about what Roger Ailes did to them. He speaks passionately about the need to “face up to what we’ve learned” and “make sure there aren’t young victims wandering around here who need us. We have to get appropriate counselors in here. We have to make sure legally everybody’s protected and have to make a commitment to be the most transparent, open and welcoming organization of our kind in the world, and I’m determined to be a part of the team that makes it happen.” Which I think is a really great stance to take – he’s showing legitimate concern for Ailes’ victims and for the culture of their newsroom.

As for Shep finally answering direct questions about what it was like to be gay at Fox News… from what he says, I get the feeling that he was always out with coworkers and friends and it was never some huge secret at Fox News. Which is how it should be. But even though he denies it though, I do think he was probably discouraged from discussing his sexuality openly while Ailes was in charge.

Photos courtesy of Getty.