Roger Ailes was an American television executive who founded Fox News Channel in 1996, serving as its founding president, chairman, and CEO until 2016. He built the network into a conservative media powerhouse, shaping the conservative media landscape as a key figure with deep ties to Republican politics. As chairman, he recruited Glenn Beck to the network and later negotiated his high-profile exit, and he also launched the TV career of Pete Hegseth, recruiting him as a contributor in 2014. Ailes was ousted in 2016 amid sexual harassment scandals and other controversial personal allegations.