ABC News host George Stephanopoulos has received a new contract just after costing the network millions of dollars in a lawsuit settlement with President-elect Donald Trump.
The network agreed last week to pay $15 million to Mr. Trump’s presidential library to settle the defamation lawsuit last week. Another $1 million will go towards the president-elect’s legal fees. An editor’s note was also posted on the website expressing regret over Mr. Stephanopoulos’ false statement that Mr. Trump was a rapist.
This comes after a March 10 episode of his Sunday show, “This Week,” where Mr. Stephanopoulos made an inaccurate statement while interviewing Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina Republican, that Mr. Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
A New York jury in May 2023 found Mr. Trump liable for sexually abusing Ms. Carroll in the 90s and ordered him to pay her $5 million, though it refused her effort to hold Mr. Trump liable for raping her.
Another case found him liable for defaming Ms. Carroll, ordering him to pay another $83.3 million. He is appealing both verdicts.
A source with knowledge of the situation told the New York Post that Mr. Stephanopoulos was not happy about being forced to apologize. Variety reported that Mr. Stephanopoulos was “blindsided” by the settlement.
Mr. Stephanopoulos has denied any wrongdoing, telling late-night host Stephen Colbert in May, that Mr. Trump “sued me because I used the word ’rape’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen.”
“In fact, we filed the motion to dismiss last week,” he said.
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