Eric Ferguson Off The Air For Now, Melissa Speaks Out: Reports

CHICAGO — Radio Hall of Famer Eric Ferguson of "Eric In The Morning" will be off the air until at least the end of October amidst sexual and professional misconduct allegations, according to media columnist Robert Feder.

Ferguson currently faces two lawsuits from former employees and is named in a complaint by former co-host Melissa McGurren on WTMX's popular morning show "Eric in the Morning."

In court documents made public Tuesday, McGurren said Ferguson abused his power in the workplace and made the station a "hostile" place to work, calling him a "serial abuser of women." McGurren ultimately left in 2020 and later posted an emotional video on Instagram saying, "The truth will come out." At the time, she also said the statement put out by The Mix regarding her departure was "not accurate."

McGurren became the third woman to accuse Ferguson following former producer Cynthia DeNicolo and former sales employee Kristen Mori, who said Ferguson groped her at a holiday party and station management "turned a blind eye."

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According to the Chicago Tribune, which broke the story of the lawsuit, the "unwelcome sexual relationship" plagued the start of DeNicolo's career in radio — and that she was fired 16 years after she stopped giving sexual favors. The suit states the woman, who was around 25 when she began working at The Mix, was pressured to give Ferguson oral sex twice a month and babysit his children for almost a decade.

Ferguson's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit last month, but did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

Ferguson's former co-host Kathy Hart was reportedly fired from the show after 21 years 2017. Her successor, Melissa McGurren, left without giving a reason in December 2020. "Eric & Kathy," dubbed the "most successful morning team in Chicago radio history," had been on the air since 1996 and were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2016.

According to the station's website, the show's key demographic is listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 years old.

"The key to the success of this entertainment based, lifestyle driven show has been its ability to keep the content edgy enough to engage adults but with enough tongue in cheek humor to sail right over the heads of kids," the website states.

According to Feder, Vice President of Hubbard Radio Chicago Jeff England alerted employees to more allegations in a company message, saying directors were initiating "multiple investigations."

Earlier, Hubbard Broadcasting released a statement that said internal and external investigations "found no evidence to corroborate allegations of illegal workplace conduct."

Ferguson's ex-wife filed for divorce from the radio host in August 2019. The former couple sold their Hinsdale home for less than they paid for it in 2020.