Bill O’Reilly is removed from Fox after two decades
April 20, 2017
Bill O’Reilly will be leaving Fox News after a two-decade reign due to confirmed sexual harassment cases resulted in multiple lawsuits filed against the former prime-time host.
The New York Times was able to uncover that Fox News and 21st Century Skills had reached settlements with five different women regarding the sexual harassment allegations, totaling about $13 million. After this release, O’Reilly’s show lost over 50 advertisers and had been called out by countless Women’s Rights groups. After facing previous assault cases, Fox News promised its workers to provide a culture based on “trust and respect.”
Once Mr. O’Reilly’s case rose to the surface, female employees began to question this promise made by Fox executives. The 67 year-old will be succeeded in the 8:00 p.m. spot by Tucker Carlson, and “The Five,” a political talk show, will move to the 9:00 p.m. slot. Although O’Reilly had been a veteran to the prime time team, Fox News and 21st Century Fox knew they needed to stick to their word and create a comfortable and respectful environment for their workers.
In a statement released yesterday, O’Reilly stilled claimed innocence and offered no apology. “It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims. But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today,” O’Reilly said.