Rudy Giuliani’s ‘girlfriend’ sues Trump crony for ‘humiliating’ her on disgraced ex-NYC mayor’s radio show
Rudy Giuliani’s “alleged girlfriend” says she was subjected to ongoing “ridicule” and “humiliation” during her tenure as the co-host of the disgraced former New York City mayor’s radio show on 77 WABC, accusing billionaire station owner and deep-pocketed Trump backer John Catsimatides of implementing a craven campaign to “undermine” her position before unceremoniously firing her — via text message — for complaining.
In an eye-popping lawsuit obtained by The Independent, board-certified nurse practitioner and former hospital executive Maria Ryan claims supermarket magnate “Johnny Cats” marginalized, and eventually fired, her because she is a woman, questioning her bona fides, ignoring her suggestions, and refusing to compensate her for her appearances on the radio show.
When Catsimatidis finally agreed to start paying Ryan, he grudgingly offered her $200 per episode, “an amount significantly lower than her male counterparts and industry standards,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Ryan Saturday in New York state court.
Ryan’s suit claims she brought her complaints about the “discrimination and hostile work environment” at WABC to station President Chad Lopez, who allegedly told her “John makes all the decisions and John is a Greek man and you are a woman.”
“[T]herefore, there was no point in standing up to him,” the lawsuit states.
Attorneys for Catsimatidis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent on Saturday. Messages sent outside of regular weekday business hours to Lopez and a Giuliani spokesman, as well as Ryan’s attorney, Matthew Blit, also went unanswered.
The married Ryan, who played a central role in Giuliani’s push to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has previously denied being romantically involved with Giuliani. The former mayor was previously caught on tape talking at length about what he described as a two-year affair that ended only because Ryan wouldn’t leave her husband.
In the spring of 2021, Ryan, a board-certified nurse practitioner and former community hospital exec, began appearing as a guest on WABC’s “The Rudy Giuliani Show,” according to her lawsuit.
“Dr. Maria’s contributions focused on significant healthcare topics and discussions on the pandemic,” the suit states.
It claims listeners appreciated the “effective dynamic” between Giuliani and Ryan, who railed against the Covid vaccine and instead touted hydroxychloroquine, a livestock dewormer, as a treatment. This prompted Catsimatidis and Lopez to offer her a co-hosting slot on Giuliani’s new show, “Uncovering the Truth.”
Because Ryan was initially billed as a guest and not a co-host, she received no money for her appearances, according to the lawsuit. Eventually, Giuliani had his agent try to negotiate a compensation package for Ryan, but the suit says Catsimatidis rejected those overtures, “showing no interest in paying Dr. Maria or providing her a contract.”
After Ryan protested to Lopez, she claims Catsimatidis agreed to pay her far less than what men received.
Ryan’s suit claims she was consistently “treated as a lesser contributor compared to her male counterparts, with her suggestions often ignored in team meetings and discussions,” and that she “faced disparaging remarks about her qualifications, with Lopez questioning the legitimacy of her academic degrees.” It alleges she “was compelled to provide all four of her degrees to Lopez to validate her credentials as a ‘real’ medical provider, an experience that was both humiliating and demoralizing.”
“Despite her established professional expertise, [Ryan] faced unwarranted scrutiny… while her male colleagues were not similarly questioned,” the lawsuit claims.
