Bill O'Reilly Is Out at Fox News, Company Announces

Executives at 21st Century Fox have decided Bill O’Reilly will not return to the network amid sexual harassment allegations.

“After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Murdochs have made the call that the embattled news host’s run will come to an end after 21 years at Fox News. The decision comes amid sexual harassment allegations that have resulted in dozens of advertisers cutting ties with “The O’Reilly Factor.”

The Wall Street Journal, owned by the Murdoch family, reported Tuesday night that Fox is prepared to boot O’Reilly. The statement was the strongest up to now in a week of continuing reports that James, Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch were negotiating an exit for the biggest name in cable news.

Also Read: Women's Group Urges Fox to Fire Bill O'Reilly in Scathing Online Ad (Video)

Negotiations over O’Reilly’s departure have moved quickly. Executives held emergency meetings Wednesday morning regarding potential “collateral damage to the network” as a result of letting their highest-rated host go, according to New York Magazine.

“The O’Reilly Factor” finished 2016 as the most-watched show in cable news and O’Reilly has essentially dominated the industry for nearly two decades, finishing No. 1 in all of cable news for 16 straight years.

“The O’Reilly Factor” wasn’t just a profitable show. The one-hour evening talk fest has been the network’s cash cow, generating a whopping $446 million in advertising from 2014 through 2016, according to Kantar Media.

Also Read: 10 Women Who Have Left Fox News Shows, From Megyn Kelly to Laurie Dhue (Photos)

But O’Reilly’s position at the network became increasingly untenable following a bombshell New York Times report on April 1 that O’Reilly and Fox News have made payouts totaling about $13 million to five women to settle claims of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior. Additional female accusers have stepped forward in the weeks since the Times story.

The allegations against O’Reilly became public only months after founding Fox News CEO Roger Ailes stepped down in disgrace last summer after he faced his own accusations of sexual harassment, first by former on-air host Gretchen Carlson and then by additional female employees who came forward after Carlson went public.

In a statement posted on his website on April 1, O’Reilly denied any wrongdoing: “Just like other prominent and controversial people, I’m vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity. In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, even on the anonymous hotline.”

Also Read: Murdoch-Owned Wall Street Journal Says Fox Prepared to Cut Ties With Bill O'Reilly

In the wake of the Times report, more than 60 companies pulled ads from the show, and the Washington Post reported that some of the sponsors were only doing so because they were locked into previously agreed upon ad buys.

President Trump recently defended O’Reilly, telling the New York Times that he “is a good person,” but his endorsement wasn’t enough for Fox News execs to keep O’Reilly around as advertisers continued to flee.

Bill O'Reilly Sexual Harassment Scandal: Complete Timeline of Events (Photos)

“The O’Reilly Factor” host Bill O’Reilly, the most-watched and most profitable personality on cable news, is officially out at Fox News. Here’s everything you need to know about the Fox profit machine’s fall from grace amid sexual harassment scandals.
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This year, O’Reilly has continued to dominate the ratings, ranking as the No. 1 most-watched cable news host — a position he’s held for more than a decade. Research firm Kantar Media estimated “The O’Reilly Factor” earned $446 million from advertisers between 2014 and 2016. See the 2017 cable rankings here.
Fox News
2004: In O'Reilly's first public run-in with sexual harassment claims, the host settled a lawsuit filed by his former producer, Andrea Mackris, according to a Washington Post report. The payout in the settlement was not disclosed.
Fox News
January 2017: The current scandal begins to bubble when the New York Times reports that Fox News and O'Reilly secretly settled a sexual harassment lawsuit in January. Juliet Huddy, a former Fox News employee, alleged that in 2011, O'Reilly tried to derail her career after she turned down sexual advances he made on her.
Fox News
April 1, 2017: The New York Times reported that O’Reilly and Fox News have settled sexual harassment and verbal abuse claims with five different women aimed at the host over the years. The two settlements mentioned above had been previously reported, but three were unknown. The payouts to women to end their suits total $13 million. Read more here.
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April 1: In addition to the settlements, two other women allege sexual harassment against O’Reilly. Former Fox host Andrea Tantaros alleged O’Reilly sexually harassed her in a lawsuit against former Fox CEO Roger Ailes. Radio host Wendy Walsh also came forward to allege O’Reilly made sexual advances on her when she was a guest on his show in 2013, and reneged on a promise to get her a job at the network after she rebuffed him.
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April 4: As the scandal grew, O'Reilly sponsors began to jump ship. Eleven O'Reilly sponsors exit the show, including Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, BMW, GlaxoSmithKline, Allstate, T. Rowe Price and Constant Contact. Read the full story here.
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April 5: Donald Trump supports O'Reilly, saying the host "shouldn't have settled." Trump also said "I don't think Bill did anything wrong." Read the rest of the story here.
Fox News
April 5: Even more sponsors pulled their support for "The O'Reilly Factor." The advertisers jumping ship include Lexus, Credit Karma, Bayer, TrueCar, Wayfair, Orkin, Society for Human Resources Management, CFP Board and Coldwell Banker. The total number of sponsors departing the show now totaled at least 20. Read more here.
Fox News
April 5: As the scandal heated up, others weighed in, including former Obama speechwriters. Celebrities such as Patton Oswalt and Bette Midler called for O'Reilly's firing on Twitter. D.L. Hughley wondered if O'Reilly has become a target because of his money, amid a few jokes at his expense.
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April 6: As more advertisers pulled out of "The O'Reilly Factor," two sponsors told TheWrap their ads were aired by Fox News against their wishes. Both MyPillow and Crowne Plaza said their ads were aired despite instructions to Fox not to do so. Read more here.
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April 7: Fox apparently stands behind O’Reilly despite sexual harassment allegations, and women at the network are reportedly “in anguish” that O’Reilly went “unrebuked.” Meanwhile, the number of advertisers who have pulled out from “The O’Reilly Factor” climbed to 60 or more. Read the full story here.
Fox News
April 7: Angie’s List, an advertiser that vocally stood by O’Reilly through the scandal, bowed to public boycott pressure and dropped its “Factor” sponsorship. Read the story here.
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April 8: "Saturday Night Live" took aim at the O'Reilly scandal, while sending up Trump's support for the host. Alec Baldwin played both O'Reilly and Trump on the show. Watch the sketch here.
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April 9: Fox News pledged to investigate the sexual harassment claims against O'Reilly, including Walsh's. Read the full story here.
CNN
April 11: Fox News aired what might have been the final episode of “The O’Reilly Factor.” The April 11 episode is O’Reilly’s last before a vacation he said he scheduled in the fall, running until April 24. But reports suggested O’Reilly may not return to the network when his vacation ends. Read more here.
Fox News
April 13: In a letter congratulating Fox News on recent successes, Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch failed to mention O’Reilly or the ongoing scandal. Read the full story here.
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April 18: An African American woman came forward to allege O'Reilly sexually and racially harassed her as a protest advocating O'Reilly's firing takes place at the Fox News headquarters in New York City. According to a statement by lawyer Lisa Bloom, the woman is "not asking for money, just accountability." Read more here.
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April 18: The Wall Street Journal, a publication owned by the Murdoch family (who also own Fox news), reported the network was looking to cut ties with O'Reilly before he returned from his scheduled vacation on April 24. Read the full story here.
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April 19: Women’s advocacy group UltraViolet urges Fox to “stop protecting sexual harassers” and fire O’Reilly in an online ad. Read more here.
UltraViolet
April 19: Fox News parent company 20th Century Fox releases a statement that O'Reilly will not return to the network. Read the story here.
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Everything you need to know about Bill O’Reilly’s ouster at Fox News

“The O’Reilly Factor” host Bill O’Reilly, the most-watched and most profitable personality on cable news, is officially out at Fox News. Here’s everything you need to know about the Fox profit machine’s fall from grace amid sexual harassment scandals.

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Bill O'Reilly Sexual Harassment Scandal: Complete Timeline of Events (Photos)

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