It's official. Roger Ailes is OUT as Chairman and CEO of Fox News network.

According to a 21st Century Fox press release, Rupert Murdoch will be stepping in until they find a replacement.

Rupert Murdoch issued the usual platitudes, saying:

“Roger Ailes has made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country. Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years.

Fox News has given voice to those who were ignored by the traditional networks and has been one of the great commercial success stories of modern media.

It is always difficult to create a channel or a publication from the ground up and against seemingly entrenched monopolies. To lead a flourishing news channel, and to build Fox Business, Roger has defied the odds.

His grasp of policy and his ability to make profoundly important issues accessible to a broader audience stand in stark contrast to the self-serving elitism that characterizes far too much of the media.

I am personally committed to ensuring that Fox News remains a distinctive, powerful voice. Our nation needs a robust Fox News to resonate from every corner of the country.

To ensure continuity of all that is best about Fox News and what it stands for, I will take over as Chairman and acting CEO, with the support of our existing management team under Bill Shine, Jay Wallace and Mark Kranz.”

Roger Ailes has been the most toxic influence on our politics over the 20 years he has run Fox News and Fox Business. The damage is inestimable, the poison now in the bloodstream of our body politic. It will take decades to undo his destruction, if it even can be undone.

Goodbye, and good riddance.

[UPDATE]

Matt Drudge has obtained a copy of Ailes resignation letter, which is available here.