Conservative commentator Erick Erickson alleges Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, got him blacklisted from Fox News

Elaine Chao.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Conservative commentator Erick Erickson alleged in a blog post Monday that Fox News removed him from air in 2014 at the request of Elaine Chao, who didn't like Erickson's criticisms of her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Chao held an influential position on the Newscorp board of directors at the time, and former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes reportedly told Erickson that she was "riding [his] a--" about Erickson's unfavorable coverage of McConnell. Now the Senate majority leader, McConnell at the time was running a primary against Matt Bevin in Kentucky, and Erickson supported the latter candidate.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.