Roger Ailes: Jon Stewart Never Made a Dent in Us

As Jon Stewart gets ready to sign off for good from The Daily Show Tonight, Fox News boss Roger Ailes sounds like he might actually might miss him.

Maybe not.

"He’s been after us for years. Occasionally we pay attention. We think he’s funny. We never took it seriously and he never made a dent in us," Ailes told The Hollywood Reporter after being contacted on Wednesday.

The Fox News chief added: "As he faces the end of his career, he’s beginning to wonder: ‘Is this as popular as I’m ever going to get? Is this as much power as I’ll ever have? The one person I could never get rid of was Roger Ailes. I tried. I did everything I could.’ This was all a plea to his lefty friends. I think he’s disappointed that he didn’t accomplish that goal, and we, of course, supplied him with half of his comedy. It’s just a matter of disappointment."

During his show last week, Jon Stewart showed a clip of the Ingmar Bergman movie, The Seventh Seal, only he substituted Ailes for the Death character. Ailes told THR he hadn’t seen the segment, but he isn’t surprised at the vitriol aimed at him.

“He’s feeling unrewarded because Fox News beats him on the amount of money we make, on ratings and on popularity. I’m sure it’s very depressing when he sits home at night and worries about it. We never did,” Ailes said.

"He’s a brilliant comedian. He’s actually a very nice guy, and I saw him with his kids on the street. He’s a good father. He has a bitter view of the world and you see it embodied in how he’s reacting to Fox News, equating it with death."

Ailes said he didn’t take even that attack all too seriously. "You can’t say that many negative things about people unless you’re really unhappy about something," he said. "I actually think he doesn’t dislike me. We met once or twice. I talked to him for an hour once in my office. I think he’s really smart and he’s got a great future."