'I would sue too!': Ex-host Geraldo Rivera tells The View Fox deserves defamation lawsuits

Longtime Fox host Geraldo Rivera told "The View" that he supports defamation lawsuits against the network, whether they are from Smartmatic or Ray Epps.

Rivera, who after working at the network for 22 years was fired from "The Five" and left, said he had disputes with another co-host who would frequently get into fights with him. Regardless of the debate, Fox would always take the side of his co-host, he said.

Rivera wouldn't name names, but the other male co-hosts were Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld. Watters has been named the network's new Tucker Carlson with a prime-time spot.

Sunny Hostin brought up Ray Epps, a Jan. 6 rioter who had became the target of a right-wing conspiracy theory that claimed he was a FBI plant. Former host Tucker Carlson grabbed onto conspiracy. Hostin noted that on Wednesday, Epps filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox.

"As well he should have," said Rivera.

Hostin asked if Fox still has any credibility after the Dominion and Smartmatic suits and now the Epps suit.

"I understand the bitterness that people feel toward the network for that, really, I think disgraceful, purposeful ignorance of what happened. They knew it happened and they allowed people to promote an idea that is absolutely absurd," Rivera explained, though it wasn't clear if he was talking about Epps or the 2020 election conspiracy.

"Everybody at Fox was not engaged in that lie," Rivera continued. "Remember, I called Tucker Carlson's theory of Jan. 6th baloney — bull—"

"They knew, very clear that — everyone knew — that what happened on Jan. 6th was that President Trump incited a riot," Rivera also said. "He encouraged those people to go there and ruin their lives, attacking the Capitol of the United States. I think that — and everybody knew that. It is an embarrassment that will be very hard for Fox to live down. They will have to pay. There are stockholder lawsuits because — where is that money coming from, of course, the Murdochs? But every shareholder at Fox is now—"

Joy Behar interrupted to call it "music to my ears."

"Imagine if you're Ray Epps and you're in the crowd, and they blame you for the whole thing," said Rivera. "I would sue too!"

Geraldo only abandoned his "friend" Donald Trump as a result of the 2020 election. Up until that, he supported Trump, through the accusations, the "Access Hollywood" tape, the Ukraine bribery scandal and more. Rivera said that he was on "The Apprentice" the last season before Trump announced, and he was eager to support someone he considered to be a friend.

He confessed sometimes the bitterness creeps into his thoughts and feelings about what happened.

"I think — and listening to your previous discussion in the last segment — that Fox had a moral crisis after the election," he said. "Everyone knows I was close to Donald Trump for decades. You can boo or cheer. We came up together in New York in the 1970s."

Behar asked what happened to him. Rivera explained, "What happened to him was he lost the election and became a crazy guy."

Hostin cut in to say that she thought he was crazy from the start, but Rivera disagreed.

"He was a misogynist and racist before then," she said.

"But he was always nice to me," Rivera claimed.

"Did he know you were Puerto Rican?" Hostin quipped, sipping her tea.

See the interview in the video below or at the link here.