
February 17, 2007 - Was Kiran Chetry a traitorous bitch? Or was Fox News simply overwhelmed by the cost of maintaining its "News Hotties" division?
The William Morris Agency tried to play hardball with the Fox News Channel, but it struck out big time - with its client, news cutie Kiran Chetry, getting cut from the network.
Sources report that William Morris super-agent John Ferriter - who'd recently started representing Chetry, co-host of "Fox & Friends" weekend shows - told the network to fire Gretchen Carlson, co-anchor of the higher-rated weekday "Fox & Friends," so Chetry could take her place.
But the backstabbing request backfired on Thursday, when Fox executives fired off an angry letter to Ferriter saying they were terminating their contract with Chetry for the treachery.
Sources say that the dark-haired, Nepalese beauty had been pulling down $300,000-plus a year, and Fox offered to bump her salary to $400,000 in a new contract that could have started March 6. But Ferriter countered with a salary demand of more than $700,000, plus his insistence that Chetry take over the morning job from Carlson, a blond former Miss America.
In a letter dated Thursday, Fox legal and business affairs v.p. Dianne Brandi told Ferriter he had "treated Fox News with such arrogant disregard that we do not desire to do any further business with you..."
"You and your client's unprofessional demand that we include a clause in her agreement which would have been detrimental to other Fox talent, is simply not the way we do business. We had hoped that Ms. Chetry would have a bright future with the Fox News Channel, however this negotiation has now become more trouble than it is worth..."
Another sources cattily commented: "Looks like Ferriter tried to play hardball with [Fox News Chairman] Roger Ailes... And to think that some people say TV agents are bad. We know of one that certainly is." A Fox spokeswoman confirmed the story, but Ferriter did not return a call for comment.
Meanwhile, fast-sinking, second-place CNN picked up top-rated Fox's crumbs yesterday, signing Chetry as a substitute anchor and correspondent. One Fox insider scoffed: "Let's see what happens. Remember, the last one they took from us was Paula Zahn, and look where she went."
I tell ya what, WTF are Fox doing? Are they trying to fail?!? First they play around with the "Fox and Friends" formula by relegating ED Hill to another time slot, and adding Gretchen Carlson - who is about as exciting as watching paint dry.
Then in the meantime [over the last few months] they ditch Linda Vester, Donna Fiducia, Bridgette Quin, and Dari Alexander!!! And now Kiran Chetry... damn it. I tell you if something happens to Laurie Dhue or Juliet Huddy, se ya later!!!
Labels: Gossip