Off-Air Drama: Geraldo Rivera Called Greg Gutfeld 'An Insulting Punk' and a 'Thin-Skinned ... Crybaby' Months Before 'Humiliating' Firing

Geraldo Rivera dedicated years of his life to Fox News, not walking away from the media giant until he was "fired from The Five" and quit.

The longtime television personality, who has since embarked on a trip to the Erie Canal in his 36-foot luxury motorboat, detailed the shocking off-air drama leading up to his departure after more than two decades on the network.

Rivera admitted he was "humiliated" after being demoted in June, which he confirmed was the catalyst to his exit, RadarOnline.com has learned.

In a rare maritime interview with The New York Times, as he boated from East Hampton with his brother to Cleveland, the media sensation reflected on his broadcast career and now-estranged friendship with former president Donald Trump.

The journalist and Trump became good friends decades ago, even sharing the small screen as Rivera competed on Celebrity Apprentice. He revealed that Trump never uttered his famous "you're fired!" at him, despite his loss, which he said "meant a lot to me."

It wasn't until after the 2020 election that his bond with Trump soured. Around that time, Rivera contacted sources, per Trump's request, who assured him that Dominion Voting Systems was not involved in election interference. He said Trump never took the call and hasn't spoken with him since.

In October 2021, Rivera said he got in trouble after taking issue with "false flag" claims in Tucker Carlson's three-part series, Patriot Purge, claiming he got scolded after using a crude term in a tweet to dismiss his then-colleague.

"I was sent to the bench," he said.

Rivera joined The Five in 2022, where more animosity would fester. He opened up about one on-air argument regarding abortion with former co-host Greg Gutfeld.

The ex-Fox personality said that during a commercial break, he called Gutfeld "thin-skinned and a crybaby." A spokeswoman for Gutfeld said Rivera followed up with an apology, but Rivera denies this.

Later, more of Rivera's planned appearances on The Five disappeared and he said, "I was read the riot act" before he was notified of his firing and informed he could still make documentaries for the network.

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Rivera felt he was being pushed into obsolescence and took it as a sign to hit the road.

After finding himself unexpectedly unemployed, now 80, Rivera said he is looking toward the future. "I'm onto a new journey," Rivera said. "The rest of my life."