Bob Beckel obit

Bob Beckel, Liberal Operative Who Became a Fixture on Fox, Dies at 73

He ran Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign, and later became a curmudgeonly pundit on conservative TV.

 

He was not on the list.

Bob Beckel, former host of Fox News' "The Five" and a columnist for USA TODAY, has died. He was 73.

“We are deeply saddened by our (father's) passing, however we take solace in the fact that he went peacefully. We ask that you respect our (family's) privacy during this time of grievance and reflection. We want to thank USA Today and our close family friends for the support they have given our father and family," Beckel's daughter MacKenzie and son Alex confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY Tuesday.

Sean Hannity also announced Beckel's death at the end of his show Monday. "We end the show with sad personal news," he said. "A very dear friend of this channel and a dear friend personally … has died."

Hannity said he received a call from Beckel's son Alex, who gave him news of Beckel's death. "He was always full of joy, happiness, sunshine," Hannity continued. "We miss him already … my heart's troubled."

On Monday's show, fellow Fox News host Laura Ingraham reacted to Hannity's announcement, saying she "liked him so much too."

"Prayers to his family," she added.

During his television career, Beckel appeared on several Fox News programs, including "Outnumbered" and "Hannity," from 2009 to 2017. He began co-hosting "The Five" in 2011, where he discussed news stories with four conservative panelists but was temporarily ousted in June 2015 while dealing with substance abuse.

Bob Beckel, former host of Fox News' "The Five" and a columnist for USA TODAY, has died. He was 73.

Then-Fox executive Bill Shine said at the time the network “couldn’t hold 'The Five' hostage to one man’s personal issues.” Beckel later wrote the book "I Should Be Dead: My Life Surviving Politics, TV and Addiction," published in November 2015.

In 2017, Beckel returned to "The Five," but he was let go again, this time for allegedly making a racist remark to a Black employee. Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for the employee, said at the time that Beckel “stormed out” of his office when the employee, a technician, came to do work on his computer, saying he was leaving because the worker was Black.

For over a decade, Beckel co-wrote the USA TODAY column "Common Ground" with  friend Cal Thomas. Published between 2005 and 2015, the column sought to present two opposing views on an issue, with Beckel — a veteran Democratic strategist — providing a left-wing perspective and Thomas — a radio commentator and evangelical Christian — providing a right-wing perspective.

Thomas mourned his "friend and spiritual brother" in a Facebook post Monday, adding that Beckel "has passed into the presence of the Lord he loved."

"We did so many things together and I hope we modeled what two people of different political persuasions can be like when they love one another," he continued, also recalling his time co-writing "Common Ground" with the late columnist. "I will see you soon Bob. You are loved."

In the duo's final column, Thomas said he hopes that he and Beckel "have inspired others to speak and develop relationships across the ideological divide and to remember we are not enemies, but Americans first."

 

"I couldn’t agree more," Beckel replied. "We have done our best, but politicians apparently are content with gridlock. It has been an honor and pleasure to share this space with you, Cal."

Beckel is survived by his two children, Alex and MacKenzie.

Beckel was born in Greenwich Village, Manhattan and grew up in Lyme, Connecticut.[5] He is the son of Cambridge Graham Beckel Jr. (author of Workshops for the World: The United Nations Family of Agencies) and Ellen Gilliland Beckel. He is the older brother of actor Graham Beckel

Beckel received a BA from Wagner College in Staten Island. While in college, he played football and worked for Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign in 1968.

After college, Beckel served in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1971 to 1972, and later was a graduate school professor of politics at George Washington University.

Beckel was the campaign manager for Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign. During that campaign he became known as the man who effectively wrapped the Wendy's slogan "Where's the beef?" around Gary Hart, Mondale's opponent for the Democratic nomination.

In late 1984 he formed the consulting firm Bob Beckel & Associates, or BBA, a lobbying firm that was succeeded in 1985 by Beckel–Cowan.

In 2002 Beckel managed the campaign of Alan Blinken, the Democratic nominee for United States Senate in Idaho, until he resigned after being targeted for extortion by a prostitute. In 2010, he made a brief appearance as himself on the Season 8 premiere of TV series 24 in a mock debate with fellow Fox News Analyst Monica Crowley.

In 2011, Beckel joined Fox News as a co-host of The Five and co-hosted some 708 episodes, until June 2015, when Fox announced that Beckel had left the program. A Fox spokesman said: "We couldn't hold The Five hostage to one man's personal issues." Beckel, whose last appearance on the show was in February 2015, had been absent while recovering from back surgery; he had also drawn controversy in the last episode prior to his dismissal, when he described himself as an "Islamophobe" in response to the Charlie Hebdo shooting. The network issued a statement, saying that Beckel had "entered rehab facility for treatment of an addiction to prescription pain medication." On a Fox News panel in 2011, Beckel called for "illegally shoot[ing]" Julian Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks. On January 16, 2017, Beckel rejoined The Five as co-host.

In 1992 Beckel married Leland Ingham. They had two children and divorced in 2002. Ingham, who was later known as Leland Keyser after remarriage, became embroiled in the Brett Kavanaugh nomination when she was named by Christine Blasey Ford as a friend who could corroborate her story of Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Ingham instead testified in Kavanaugh's favor.

Beckel was a mainstay in the media over the years, appearing on national news programs like “NBC Nightly News,” “CBS This Morning,” and “Good Morning America” and “Nightline” on ABC. In addition to Sunday morning news shows like “Meet the Press” and “Face the Nation” Beckel made quite an impact when he became a founding co-host on “The Five.”

Premiering in July 2011 on Fox News, the show was meant to be a temporary holder for the timeslot after Glenn Beck left the network to begin his own media company, The Blaze. Joined by current co-hosts Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld, Beckel helped usher the program from a five-week run to one of the highest-rated shows in cable news.

Many of his former colleagues expressed their sentiments in the hours after hearing the news.

Eric Bolling, another alum from “The Five” shared a memory of coming to his friend’s aid even though the two were “arch-nemesis” of the program.

Katie Pavlich, another co-host of “The Five” also recalled him fondly. Very sad to hear Bob Beckel has passed. Sitting at the table with him was fun and he always asked me if I approved of his tie.