A growing pile of sexual harassment allegations resulted in Bill O’Reilly’s departure from Fox News. Up through Tuesday night, O’Reilly’s spokesperson was assuring reporters he would return to the network April 24th.
In a very brief statement, 21st Century Fox said:
From the New York Times:
Mr. O’Reilly’s departure comes two and a half weeks after an investigation by The New York Times revealed how Fox News and 21st Century Fox had repeatedly stood by Mr. O’Reilly even as sexual harassment allegations piled up against him. The Times found that the company and Mr. O’Reilly reached settlements with five women who had complained about sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior by him. The agreements totaled about $13 million.Since then, more than 50 advertisers had abandoned his show, and women’s rights groups called for his ouster. Inside the company, women expressed outrage and questioned whether top executives were serious about maintaining a culture based on “trust and respect,” as they had promised last summer when another sexual harassment scandal forced the ouster of Fox News’s chairman, Roger Ailes.That put pressure on 21st Century Fox and the Murdoch family that controlled it. After the dismissal of Mr. Ailes, the company struck two settlements involving sexual harassment complaints against Mr. O’Reilly and also extended his contract, even as it was aware of the complaints about his behavior.Last week, the Murdochs enlisted the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to conduct an investigation into Mr. O’Reilly’s behavior after one woman, who had detailed her allegations against Mr. O’Reilly to The Times, called the company’s hotline to report her complaints. Another complaint was reported on Tuesday, according to the lawyer who represents the woman making the allegations.Mr. O’Reilly has denied the allegations against him.
O’Reilly’s departure leaves a gaping hole in Fox’s primetime coverage. Tucker Carlson, who took over when Megyn Kelly left the network will be moving to O’Reilly’s now vacant time slot. The Five will move to Tucker’s old spot at 9:00.:
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