Brian Kilmeade's Contract Negotations Go South At Fox News

Fox News has been making many deals lately, as Thursday's New York Times notes: Bill O'Reilly was just signed for over $10 million a year, Sean Hannity recently signed a multi-year contract renewal, Shep Smith re-upped for $8 million/year last year, and the network just lured Headline News' Glenn Beck.

But amidst this dealmaking, Huffington Post hears that one Fox News personality was left in the dust: "Fox & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade, whose recent contract negotiations didn't go quite as smoothly as the others.

According to sources, Kilmeade attempted to play hardball in his latest contract renewal negotiations and overplayed his hand with a series of ridiculous demands. We're told Fox News executives called his bluff and shut down negotiations with his agent, CAA's Alan Berger (who also represents Katie Couric and Erin Burnett). Within hours, Kilmeade and Berger returned with their tails between their legs and their hat in their hands, and Kilmeade signed on to another contract with only a nominal raise.

When reached for comment, a Fox News spokesperson would not confirm the report, citing the network's policy of not commenting on contract negotiations, but said, "Brian continues to be a valued member of the top morning show on cable." "Fox & Friends" is drawing more viewers than its two cable competitors, CNN's "American Morning" and MSNBC's "Morning Joe," combined.

Kilmeade is perhaps most widely known for walking off the "Fox & Friends" set after a heated exchange about Barack Obama in March.

Comments

[agandia]

11:31 PM on 10/24/2008

This needs to be corrected: He walked off the set as a joke - he was not defending Obama.

[MadamRoma]

02:56 PM on 10/24/2008

He needed a raise, the price of the "Lees Press-on eyebrows" he wears has skyrocketed. He wanted a clause in his contract that the FOX network would pay for his press-on eyebrows, they said no, and told him he could draw them on with a Maybelline mascara pencil..................negotiations are in progress.

[bigironal25]

11:18 PM on 10/24/2008

This hand job would take a pay cut, just to stay on Fox!

[Fudgefase]

09:05 AM on 10/24/2008

He broke the party line and stuck up for 'that one'.
Lucky he just got a minimal rise...

[Leedox]

07:21 AM on 10/24/2008

No wonder these people are all so rabid anti-Obama. They all make more that $250,000 a year!!!

[DRicha8374]

08:18 AM on 10/24/2008

That is the reason, I was wondering about that also. Morning Joe, Fox and Friends, Orielly and Hannity and Combs (I don't know why Combs is there, because he loose every battle submittingly). Brian Kilmeade deserves what he is getting because that show is all about lies, I really enjoy when they get an opposing figure who will speak up. They turn into wimps!

[shiznit613]

09:59 AM on 10/24/2008

What would you call MSNBC? Doesnt Pat Buchanan loose just about every battle on that channel submittingly. Who cares if Faux news leans a bit to the right. every other fricken network leans left!

[Melissa]

03:06 PM on 10/24/2008

He better be careful, Karin Chetry tried the same tactic and she wound up on CNN's losing morning show.

[jefft1]

02:42 AM on 10/24/2008

Once Obama is in office. Palin will be grabbed up for a show tailor made for her on Fox news. She will be in her element; doing news broadcasts with a heavy slant for her to insert her own political agenda much like Olberman in his special comments segments. She will bide her time and provided that we still have a country left after 4 years, she and her small town hockey moms and Joe six packs will consider her a safe brand and she will once again try in all her despicable megalomania to make a presidential bid with the teeny tiny pea brained rural town folksies that think she's the cats or should we say moose's pajamas.Then she can have all the wardrobe and makeup she wants on Fox's dime.
'

[Clayton139]

03:08 AM on 10/24/2008

PALIN ! - OOh Man, FOX is really going to (Go South), (NOT North), with there Ratings ! LOL!
Palin: The gift that keeps on giving ! - NOT ! - Hah ! - She will NOT get the ratings for FOX ! - YEAH !

[booker52]

08:48 AM on 10/24/2008

Too, bad, I was hoping Palin would go home and we could all forget about the witch. She is just plain dumb and dangerous.

[ramal]

12:29 AM on 10/24/2008

Everyone of these "talking heads" is over paid, over compensated and unfortunately over here. Fire all of them after two years and bring in a whole new crew at a fraction of the salaries the current bunch is being paid. For every one person you see on these programs giving opinions that no one wants to hear there are two hundred younger, smarter and more attractive personages waiting to take their place.

[dotmafia]

12:01 AM on 10/24/2008

What a dork.

[wedapeepo]

10:51 PM on 10/23/2008

How is it that these so called fox news shows get better ratings then msnbc and cnn? Any takers?

[XME]

11:24 PM on 10/23/2008

Simple...they get ALL the nuts, whereas CNN and MSNBC have to split the count of sane folks!

It's sort of like if Hillary had decided to run as a thrd party cadidate against Obama for the general...McCain would have won because Barack and Hillary would have split the rest of the votes.

[Quaoar]

11:45 PM on 10/23/2008

The people left of Mussolini are divided among all the other options while Fox gets almost all of the redneck and fascist viewers.

[RButler]

10:40 PM on 10/23/2008

I imagine that Kilmeade is a raving cross dresser on his time off to balance that hyper-macho image he has to maintain on Fox and Friends. Think about it. He has a job where he has to wear makeup 5 days a week. Why stop on the weekends? He has no eyebrows so drawing in some fancy ones should be easy.

About a year ago I emailed a comment to the show saying that Kilmeade sat on the couch like he had a stick up his butt. He reminded me of those starlets that sit that way on late night comedy shows to appear more fetching: chest out, back arched. After that, he seemed to sit in a more relaxed manner. I don't know if it was a coincidence or he got my message. Funny.

[bioluminescence]

10:08 PM on 10/23/2008

Kilmeade is agonizing to watch. He always looks like he just lost a sock in the dryer or his pet parrott is giving him the silent treatment. And then he gets huffy when you say you don't care. When he was a child he would play hide-and-seek and no one would go looking for him. Fox should have done the same.

[spiderbucket]

09:56 PM on 10/23/2008

Poor frat boy. Sniff.

[260Parkway]

09:43 PM on 10/23/2008

Let's hope they don't renew his contract and he spills the beans on those BOZO's at FOX! There is definitely something not right with those people and it's not a coincidence......

[KeithMayass]

09:21 PM on 10/23/2008

atomic barf

[salamfall]

09:08 PM on 10/23/2008

Joe the Plumber said on fox news " I once was on welfare, my parents twice!" .
My question to Joe is " Where do you think welfare money comes from?", if taxpayers money helped you climb the social ladder, once you are pretty high up there shouldnt you return the favor, Selfish Joe.

Here is the video I posted on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnK84mM5N-o

Spread the video around

[robertwb]

08:59 PM on 10/23/2008

CLOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!