Greta Van Susteren Leaving Fox News After 14 Years

Gary Pruitt, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Associated Press, speaks at the National Press Club (NPC) in Washington, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Pruitt, addressing a luncheon at the NPC, spoke about how t... Gary Pruitt, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Associated Press, speaks at the National Press Club (NPC) in Washington, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Pruitt, addressing a luncheon at the NPC, spoke about how the Justice Department violated its own rules in subpoenaing AP phone records. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) MORE LESS
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Longtime Fox News host Greta Van Susteren is leaving the network after 14 years, effective immediately, the network confirmed on Tuesday. No reason was offered for her departure.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Van Susteren posted on Facebook she decided to leave the network on Thursday night.

“Fox has not felt like home to me for a few years and I took advantage of the clause in my contract which allows me to leave now,” she said in the post.

Shortly after allegations of sexual harassment were raised against ex-Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, it was reported that Van Susteren, along with Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, and other on-screen hosts, had contract provisions that would allow them to leave the network if Ailes departed, called a “key man clause.”

Van Susteren’s husband, John Coale, told the New York Times she exercised the clause to exit the network and called the timing of the announcement, which broke the same day as news of Gretchen Carlson’s settlement, a “coincidence.”

“There’s so much chaos, it’s very hard to work there,” Coale said. Pressed on why Van Susteren used the clause to exit, he said, “There’s more than meets the eye” and there “might be litigation in the future” but did not comment further.

Brit Hume, a Fox News senior political analyst, will take over Van Susteren’s 7 p.m. show, “On the Record,” starting tonight and will carry through the election.

In a statement provided to TPM, Fox News’ co-presidents, Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine, said: “We are grateful for Greta’s many contributions over the years and wish her continued success.”

Abernethy and Shine also praised Hume, who they called “one of the best political analysts in the industry.”

This post has been updated.

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