Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City and former personal attorney for President Donald Trump, responded sharply to a New York Post article reporting that billionaire John Catsimatidis is denying charges of gender discrimination brought against him by Giuliani’s former WABC Radio co-host Maria Ryan.
Note: Ryan is suing WABC and Catsimatidis (who owns grocery store chains Gristedes and D’Agostino, and WABC radio) for gender discrimination as she claims she received less pay than her male counterparts.
Catsimatidis told the Post: “WABC radio show paid Maria appropriately, and she never complained to WABC that she was not paid properly because she was a woman. WABC has a proud history of incredible on-air talent, both men and women. Any allegation that women at WABC – on-air talent or otherwise – are treated differently than men is false.”
John Catsimatidis says in today’s NY Post that despite the fact that he fired me, we talk regularly.
He is lying.
We do not talk, and will not.
My WABC Radio colleagues abandoned me, without even asking my side of the story.
Money corrupts, big money corrupts absolutely.
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) December 8, 2024
Giuliani replied to the article on X: “John Catsimatidis says in today’s NY Post that despite the fact that he fired me, we talk regularly. He is lying. We do not talk, and will not. My WABC Radio colleagues abandoned me, without even asking my side of the story. Money corrupts, big money corrupts absolutely.”
Catsimatidis, who is — like Giuliani — a loyal supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, said he had to suspend Giuliani in May after Giuliani ranted about the “stolen” 2020 presidential election — which was a violation of a company-wide policy “not to state, suggest or imply that the election results are not valid.”
Asserting that Catsimatidis is “lying” about their communication, the former mayor also appears to take Ryan’s side in the dispute. (Ryan’s contract was also terminated when Giuliani was fired.)
The station owner said that when Giuliani later skipped a meeting to discuss protocol after the suspension, Catsimatidis had no choice but to fire Giuliani.
“He did it to himself,” Catsimatidis said in May.
Two of my best friends @RudyGiuliani and Steve Bannon pic.twitter.com/sKr3TDcW80
— Dr. Maria (@MariaRyanNH) December 7, 2024
Note: Giuliani and Ryan continue to film the podcast America’s Mayor, where this weekend they had Trump’s former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on the show. Photo above.