Roger Ailes on His 'Date' With Courtney Friel

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

A funny little comment from Fox News Channel entertainment reporter Courtney Friel about how she got her gig—dating the boss—has gotten messy on the Web, and now that boss, Roger Ailes, is weighing in with a little kidding of his own.

It all started when Friel was interviewed by Soup Cans, the online site that says "media personalities are our specialty." Even before it got to her photos in FHM and Maxim, the site asked a simple enough question: How did the gig with Fox News come about? Friel answered: "Well ... I went on a date with Roger Ailes ... OMG—I'm joking!! Actually—the process was pretty standard. My agent sent FOX a DVD (which had 2 reels on it—entertainment and local news). Then—I flew to NYC for an interview. Next—I got an offer—so I left LA and moved to the Big Apple! I'm in my third year at FNC already!"

Some bloggers had a field day with the answer. Gawker poked fun; TVNewser picked it up, too.

So what was Ailes's response to Washington Whispers? "I'm glad Courtney Friel made this joke and not Neil Cavuto." Now that's how to stir it up.