'What took so long': Internet divided as WABC radio boss says Rudy Giuliani's behavior 'makes it very hard not to terminate him'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: WABC radio station owner John Catsimatidis said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's behavior left him with no option other than to fire the suspended radio host, reported the New York Post.

"It's pretty hard to bring him back. His behavior makes it very hard to reverse course. He makes it hard not to terminate him," the billionaire told the media outlet.

Catsimatidis and WABC 770 hosts Curtis Sliwa and Dominick Carter substituted for the former Donald Trump attorney's scheduled show on Saturday, May 12, from 10 to 11 am.

Giuliani was suspended from WABC radio last week for questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election on air on 'The Rudy Giuliani Show'.

WABC fires Rudy Giuliani after 'three strikes'

Catsimatidis, who bought the WABC radio station in 2019, said the twice-indicted ex-mayor had "three strikes" against him after he slammed the suspension on other media platforms.

The owner said all the radio hosts, including Giuliani, were memoed to refrain from bringing up electronic voting machines or their accuracy in the 2020 election after Dominion Voting Systems' lawyers sent a letter. He added that he did not want the radio station to be entangled in litigation because of the ex-NYC mayor's stolen election rant.

On May 12, Giuliani blasted Catsimatidis, calling him a "bald-faced liar," and said he had discussed the 2020 election on the show for four years. The ex-Trump lawyer asked, "What's changed in the last four years?"

Catsimatidis said Giuliani's discussion about the voting machine last week was "dubbed" or "bleeped," and he was suspended for violating the company-wide policy.

"That was strike 1," the retail giant said.

He added that "strike two" was the former mayor's demand to double the hours of his show.

Giuliani, on May 10, argued that Catsimatidis denied his First Amendment rights to free speech.

"You can't tell somebody not to talk about the 2020 presidential election and tell me that you have respect for free speech," the one-time Trump lawyer said.

Catsimatidis retorted to the accusations on Sunday and said he was unaware of his former employee's paid gig on NewsMax and called it "strike three."

"What happened last week was very tragic," the billionaire said on air on May 12's slot for 'Rudy Giuliani Show'.

"When I hired Rudy, I got a lot of criticism," Catsimatidis said, citing the controversy around Giuliani, including his indictment in the election interference case and an FBI probe on his dealings in Ukraine. "In this country, you're innocent until proven guilty."

However, the ex-Mayor fired back at the radio station owner, accusing him of working for Joe Biden by firing him.

Internet reacts to John Catsimatidis firing Rudy Giuliani

Netizens had a divided opinion about Catsimatidis firing Giuliani. When one group welcomed the decision, another suggested he should take back the former mayor.

One user asked, "What took so long." While another wrote, "SAD INDEED - all the way around."

"You made the right decision" said one user.

One response read, "Totally agree that the station needs to be legally protected, but with the many assaults on Giuliani, he should be forgiven for being angry at times. We so value Giuliani’s legacy and opinions that I am praying a resolution can be found. NYers and WABC need his voice."

"John, I’m glad you fired Rudy Giuliani. Rudy Giuliani never was New York City’s greatest Mayors. Rudy Giuliani’s racist policies and policies against poor people successfully helped rebuild the Poconos and the Scranton, Pennsylvania area," someone else added.

On the other hand, a person said, "Keep him. You guys are friends. Hash it out."

Another user wrote, "Are you kidding me, he was speaking about this since he started, and now all of a sudden....shame on you."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.