Rudy Giulani suspended from WABC and radio show canceled

Top line

Rudy Giuliani was suspended from New York talk radio station WABC and his daily show was canceled Friday after he violated company policy by questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election, The New York Times reported — cutting Giuliani a source of income months later but he filed for bankruptcy.

WABC’s owner reportedly said that Rudy Giuliani continued to violate company policies by questioning the company … (+) Legitimacy of the 2020 election, which led to his suspension.

Getty Images

Important facts

WABC owner, billionaire John Catsimatidis, told the Times that Giuliani repeatedly violated the network’s policies when he “talked about fallacies in the November 2020 election” despite multiple warnings to stop.

Catsimatidis also said Giuliani sent him a text message saying he “refused not to talk about it,” which led to his suspension from one of his only remaining sources of income.

Giuliani told Forbes that he learned of his firing through the New York Times article, saying that he was “fired… because I refused to comply with their overly broad order, which literally stated that I was ‘forbidden.’ ‘To participate in discussions related to the 2020 presidential election.’”

He said this was “a clear violation of free speech” and that he was never informed of the policy in advance.

Giuliani earned about $400,000 a year from WABC, the Times reported last year, citing an anonymous source.

Giuliani’s radio show aired every weekday and Sunday on WABC, and he used it to share his thoughts on current events such as Trump’s trial and the war between Israel and Hamas.

Giuliani’s ties to false claims about the 2020 election are well known: He was recently indicted in Arizona for his alleged role in a plot to overturn the election, and he is also facing charges in Georgia and is considered “co-conspirator 1” in a federal indictment against the former President Donald Trump on election interference charges.

Forbes has reached out to Catsimatidis for comment.

Get text alerts on Forbes breaking news: We’re introducing SMS alerts to ensure you’re always on top of the most important news breaking the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or log in Here.

What you should pay attention to

Giuliani also told Forbes that he has “a lot more to say about this” and will go live on his social media platforms at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Important background

Giuliani is the former mayor of New York City and helped lead the Trump campaign’s unsuccessful attempt to overturn the 2020 election. He is one of several people facing charges over efforts to overturn the election results. His law license was suspended in 2021 and proceedings are ongoing as to whether his license to practice law should be revoked entirely. He has pleaded not guilty in Georgia and has not yet been charged in Arizona. Giuliani’s mounting legal challenges have caused him major financial difficulties, leading him to file for bankruptcy in December, reporting between $1 million and $10 million in assets but $153 million in liabilities. A jury last year convicted him of $148 million in civil penalties for defaming two Georgia poll workers he falsely accused of voter fraud. He was also sued by his lawyer for unpaid legal fees and ordered to pay legal fees in the defamation case against election officials.

Forbes rating

We estimate that Catsimatidis – who has owned WABC since 2019 – had a net worth of $4.3 billion as of Friday afternoon, making him the 750th richest person in the world.