Whether you believe Fox News to be “fair and balanced” or GOP propaganda, you have Roger Ailes to thank for the network’s intense media influence. Ailes was the most powerful man in cable news, which made him one of the most powerful figures in all of politics, but with all of that power comes an inevitable from grace. In Showtime’s series The Loudest Voice we see Russell Crowe, under pounds of prosthetics to play Ailes during Fox News’ rise to prominence.
Joining Crowe on the show are Naomi Watts, who plays Gretchen Carlson; Sienna Miller as Beth Ailes, and Seth MacFarlane as Brian Lewis, one of the network’s top PR execs. As one of the network’s most prominent anchors, Carlson was instrumental in Ailes’ downfall when she exposed his abusive behavior, which led to a number of lawsuits. Ailes resigned in disgrace in 2016 and died a year later.
The Loudest Voice is based on the insightful book by Gabriel Sherman, who co-wrote the series’ first episode with director and exec-producer Tom McCarthy (Spotlight). Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions are also involved, as part of their expanded portfolio outside of low-budget horrors. Look for Showtime to premiere the series on June 30th.
