Watch: Geraldo Rivera Gets Very Personal During His Final Hours on Fox News – ‘The Rest is History’

A longtime Fox News personality ended his tenure on the network with a defense of racial discrimination in college admissions. Geraldo Rivera defended affirmative action during a Friday appearance on Fox & Friends -- his last appearance on the network as a Fox News employee. Rivera's remarks came after Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that the use of affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional. The longtime center-left foil of Fox's broadcast content pointed to his own personal history in his defense of the practice. "I was a product of affirmative action over a half a century ago," Rivera said. Rivera cited an endeavor by the Ford Foundation and Columbia University's journalism school to diversify New York news media during the early 1970s. Contributor Geraldo Rivera praises affirmative action — and says the SCOTUS ruling restricting it “will impact many people of color” — on his final appearance on Fox News:

“I was a product of affirmative action over a half a century ago.” pic.twitter.com/4m9IyB7PsQ — The Recount (@therecount) June 30, 2023 The left-leaning media personality recounted his experiences representing a Puerto Rican activist group -- which led him to be selected as a candidate for the program. "So I got discovered that way, and they drafted me for the Columbia program, and the rest is history." Rivera clarified that he had quit Fox News in a Thursday video recorded from a motorized boat. Bumpy day on the North Atlantic. Anyway, I got fired from @TheFive so I quit Fox. After 23 years tomorrow Fox and Friends could be my last appearance on the network. Thanks for the memories. pic.twitter.com/74Qgalz8sF

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) June 29, 2023 "I've been fired from The Five, and as a result of that I quit Fox," Rivera revealed. Rivera's tenuous relationship with fellow personality Greg Gutfeld is thought to have spurred his exit from the network. Rivera's intermittent appearances on The Five also fueled speculation about his potential exit from Fox. Getting close…my 80th birthday next week and this coming Thursday and Friday my last appearances on ⁦ @TheFive ⁩ pic.twitter.com/p0Lmt8Pjca

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) June 27, 2023 Rivera has worked for Fox News since 2001. Some viewers of Fox objected to Rivera's congratulatory send-off, noting that fired host Tucker Carlson received no such distinction from network management.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .