Everything You Need to Know About Bill O’ Reilly’s Dismissal
A guide to the who, what, when, where, and why
By Kate Liang
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING A BAD WEEK, but not many people have been having a bad month — and for Bill O’ Reilly, the month of April has been the worst yet. As one of Fox News’s top anchors for nearly two decades, O’Reilly has consistently been the named the host of the top cable news program, The O’Reilly Factor, outcompeting any other show on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, but on April 19, 2017, Fox News and its parent company, 21st Century Fox, officially said goodbye to its longtime employee.
“He’s one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news,” writes a memo from Fox. “In fact, his success by any measure is indisputable.”
The story starts with a New York Times article published in the beginning of April. It exposed the famed TV host and his company as O’Reilly faced multiple sexual harassment allegations from five different women since 2002. Each received a settlement from either O’Reilly or Fox in exchange for silence over the accusations against him. The total of the amount of settlements is estimated to be about $13 million.
Out of these five women, two have been publicly reported before. In October of 2004, Andrea Mackris, former producer on the O’Reilly Factor, accused O’Reilly of harassment. O’Reilly settled her case for $9 million. The second was last year with Fox TV host Juliet Huddy from The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet. During Huddy’s case, O’Reilly attempted to have a romantic relationship with her and reportedly threatened to fire her if she didn’t agree. Fox News paid for all legal fees and settlements in this case, and the settlements are reported to be around $1.6 million.
With three other cases uncovered, the New York Times writes that two involved sexual harassment and one was for verbal abuse with a junior producer, in which he “berated a young producer in front of newsroom colleagues.”
In addition to the five women, the Times also reports two other inappropriate encounters with O’Reilly. Reporter Wendy Walsh, a former regular guest on the O’Reilly Factor, declined an offer from O’Reilly to enter his hotel suite in 2013. Because of the rejection, O’Reilly broke his promise with Walsh of securing a position for her in the company. Former Fox News host, Andrea Tantaros, who already filed a lawsuit against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes last year, said that O’Reilly tried to lure her to his home in Long Island and claimed he viewed her as a “wild girl.”
All these cases seem to follow a simple pattern:
- O’Reilly becomes an influential figure in the newsroom.
- He creates a bond with women in the workplace by offering advice and professional help.
- He pursues a romantic/sexual relationship with the women, and if they rebuff him, it creates a sense of fear that their careers will fail.
At least 44 companies withdrew their ads from the O’Reilly Factor and boycotted O’Reilly in wake of these settlements and claims. These companies include BMW, Lexus, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and more.
Mercedes-Benz manager of corporate communications Donna Boland said, “the allegations are disturbing and, given the importance of women in every aspect of our business, we don’t feel this is a good environment in which to advertise our products right now.”
Women activist groups also called for O’Reilly to be fired as they expressed rage and “questioned whether top executives were serious about maintaining a culture based on ‘trust and respect’” as a result from the controversy and ousting of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes.
In the end, the story concludes as expected. 21st Century Fox ends O’Reilly’s run on the top-rated cable news program. The decision was made by the Murdoch family: Rupert Murdoch and his two sons James and Lachlan, whom all control 21st Century Fox.
Although O’Reilly may not be a part of Fox News anymore, it is reported that he is receiving a payout of up to one year’s salary, estimated to be $25 million. However, sources close to Fox News and O’Reilly decline to say the exact amount of money he will receive.
Despite these actions, O’Reilly still denies all claims against him. “It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims,” he said in his statement on Wednesday, “but that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today.”
As Fox News is losing some of its biggest employees (O’ Reilly and former CEO Roger Ailes) to harassment allegations as well as the departure of Megyn Kelly, the future is questionable for Fox News as it is the center of conservative-leaning media. The departure of O’Reilly allows Fox rivals to move in while it tests the loyalty of Fox viewers.
Therefore, the question is: will Fox viewers be loyal to the channel and continue to watch what is now called The Factor? Or will they follow O’Reilly on his new podcast “No Spin News?”
