What Happened to Raymond Arroyo From Fox News? He Stepped In It
Some viewers defended Raymond's take as a joke, while others were far from amused at the seeming racial stereotype he spewed.
Updated March 28 2024, 10:15 a.m. ET
Perpetual sidekick to conservative commentator extraordinaire Laura Ingraham, Raymond Arroyo, has not been seen on Fox News since February 2024, leaving viewers wondering what happened to him.
The predominant theory, although unconfirmed, is that Raymond's absence has to do with inappropriate and offensive remarks he made about the Black community and sneakers in the context of talking about support for Donald Trump. Here's the full story.
So, what happened to Raymond Arroyo and why has he not been on air?
Per the Daily Beast, during a Feb. 18, 2024 appearance on the Fox News program The Big Weekend Show, Raymond discussed the controversial republican presidential candidate's new sneaker line, with the crown jewel being a limited-edition gold “Never Surrender” style for $399.
“This is connecting with Black America because they love sneakers!” the commentator said in the cringey segment. “They’re into sneakers… this is a big deal, certainly in the inner city. So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this is cool!’”
Not surprisingly, strong backlash immediately ensued.
Although some viewers defended Raymond's take as a joke, others were far from amused at the seeming racial stereotype he spewed on the show, and aren't sad to see him either benched from the airwaves, or fired.
Raymond Arroyo has not yet spoken out about why he's off air.
Raymond is yet to comment on the headline-making scandal, and his X bio still identifies him as a Fox News contributor.
He has been posting on social media about other subjects, with followers dipping into the comments to ponder his whereabouts.
"Bro, where ya been? Are you selling sneakers?" joked one person. "Still missing you on Laura’s show," someone else said in comment posted on March 27.
Meanwhile, Fox is not saying what the status of Raymond's job is with the network either.
Until we know more, how about a quick trip down memory lane of other Fox News contributors who were canceled?
Raymond Arroyo wouldn't be the first Fox News contributor to get canceled.
Of course, the list is long of talking heads on all networks who have been taken off air for comments and actions that are less than seemly.
But remember when Bill O'Reilly was the face of Fox News?
In 2017, sexual harassment allegations put an end to his career, as Politico reports.
Bill joined the lexicon of former Fox stars whose tenures ended in spectacular fashion following backlash.
In 2020, Ed Henry left under similar circumstance to his departed colleague, Bill.
And don't forget about Bob Beckel, who allegedly made a racist remark to a co-worker, and was unceremoniously let go in 2017.
Most famously, Fox News head Roger Ailes left in the midst of sexual misconduct allegations. The story of how he was brought down is the subject of the film Bombshell.
In the end, when it comes to Raymond Arroyo, we don't yet know exactly why the former CNN contributor is missing from the Fox News, and only time will tell if he returns, or is gone for good.
If you need support, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit RAINN.org to chat online one-on-one with a support specialist at any time.
