Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity May Leave Fox News if Roger Ailes Departs

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Fox News Channel’s No. 1 primetime lineup could be in jeopardy if network boss Roger Ailes gets booted.

Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren all might exit the network if parent company 21st Century Fox gets rid of Ailes in the wake of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former host Gretchen Carlson, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The three hosts have all spoken out publicly in defense of Ailes, who has been under internal investigation since shortly after the Carlson suit was filed. New York magazine reports that Ailes has until August 1 to step down or be fired.

O’Reilly, Hannity and Van Susteren have contract clauses that would allow them to depart if Ailes leaves the network, according to a Financial Times report, which cites two people briefed on the situation.

The high stakes showcase an escalating battle between Ailes and 21st Century Fox.

Fox News declined to comment.

More to come…

Roger Ailes vs Gretchen Carlson: Supporters on Each Side of the Sexual Harassment Lawsuit (Updating Photos)

Gretchen Carlson's sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes has a variety of people offering their opinion. From Fox News hosts to former models, here are people who have taken a side publically.
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The court filing alleges that Ailes said to Carlson on Sept. 16, 2015: "I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you'd be good and better and I'd be good and better."

Also Read: Gretchen Carlson’s Fox News Exit Was ‘Cold and Calculating,’ She Says
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An increasing number of Fox News employees are coming out to defend Ailes on a daily basis, while Carlson has her share of supporters, too.

Also Read: Fox News’ ‘Real Story’ Posts Record Ratings Without Gretchen Carlson
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Greta Van Susteren has been with Fox News for 15 years and told TheWrap she has “absolutely never” seen Ailes act inappropriately toward women.

Also Read: Greta Van Susteren Defends Roger Ailes Against Sex Harassment Claim (Exclusive)
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Jeanine Pirro told TheWrap her former colleague’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes is “absurd.”

Also Read: Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro Rips Gretchen Carlson’s ‘Absurd’ Lawsuit
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“The Five” co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle told Breitbart that Ailes is “a champion of women” and “in terms of Roger’s character, integrity, and credibility, I cannot stand up enough for Roger.”

Also Read: Read Gretchen Carlson’s Pleas for Airtime in Handwritten Letters to Roger Ailes (Photos)
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Maria Bartiromo has publically defended Ailes, who hired her at both CNBC and Fox Business.

Also Read: Gretchen Carlson’s Letters to Roger Ailes Show ‘Devoted’ Employee, Lawyers Say
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Former Fox News host Kiran Chetry defended Ailes in the Huffington Post.

"I can’t speak for Gretchen since I wasn’t in the room obviously but I will tell you that I never felt uncomfortable around Roger Ailes," she wrote.

Also Read: Roger Ailes Rips Gretchen Carlson’s Sexual Harassment Suit
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“Outnumbered” co-host Harris Faulkner recently defended Ailes and credited him for her success. “He believed in me when people who looked like me were not in network news,” she told Mediaite.

Also Read: Greta Van Susteren Defends Roger Ailes Against Sex Harassment Claim (Exclusive)
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Martha MacCallum denied a rumor that female Fox News hosts are banned from wearing pants on air.

Also Read: Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro Rips Gretchen Carlson’s ‘Absurd’ Lawsuit
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Ainsley Earhardt now co-hosts "Fox & Friends," the show Carlson used to be on. Earhardt has defended co-host Steve Doocy, who Carlson named in her lawsuit.

"He is nothing but nice. He is a gentleman. He is a family man," she told Mediaite.

Also Read: Greta Van Susteren Defends Roger Ailes Against Sex Harassment Claim (Exclusive)
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Neil Cavuto said Ailes "can be a huge pain in the ass," but the allegations, "Don't remotely resemble the Roger that I know," to Business Insider.

Also Read: Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro Rips Gretchen Carlson’s ‘Absurd’ Lawsuit
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Bret Baier told CBS’ “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that, “The Roger I know is somebody who has been amazing to me.”

Also Read: Fox News’ Bret Baier: Some Republicans Could Back Hillary Clinton Over Donald Trump
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Bill O'Reilly said he “stands behind Roger Ailes 100 percent,” during a recent appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

Also Read: Bill O’Reilly Hints at Retirement: ‘I Don’t Want to Work This Hard Much Longer’
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Elisabeth Hasselbeck once replaced Carlson on “Fox & Friends" and recently defended Ailes.

Also Read: Gretchen Carlson’s Lawyers Fire Back After Roger Ailes Denies 6 More Sexual Harassment Allegations

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Geraldo Rivera wrote, "I've known him 40 years. He's about as flirty as the grizzly in #TheRevenant. I stand with Roger Ailes" on Twitter.

Also Read: 5 Most Shocking Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Roger Ailes
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A New York magazine piece recently profiled six women who reached out to Carlson’s attorney, Nancy Erika Smith, with complaints about Ailes.

Also Read: Gretchen Carlson’s Fox News Exit Was ‘Cold and Calculating,’ She Says
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Kellie Boyle told New York magazine that Ailes once told her, "You know if you want to play with the big boys, you have to lay with the big boys."

This image is from her Facebook page, according to Daily Mail.

Also Read: 5 Most Shocking Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Roger Ailes
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Marsha Callahan is a former model who told the magazine that Ailes told her, "Pretty girls like you are a dime a dozen."

Also Read: Gretchen Carlson Breached Her Fox News Contract, Roger Ailes Attorney Claims
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Sean Hannity bashed the author of the New York magazine story in a series of tweets.

Also Read: Greta Van Susteren Defends Roger Ailes Against Sex Harassment Claim (Exclusive)
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Four other women who didn’t reveal their identities made similar claims about Ailes in the New York article. FNC later issued a statement denying the report.

Also Read: Gretchen Carlson Breached Her Fox News Contract, Roger Ailes Attorney Claims
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Ailes' outside counsel issued a statement about the New York story: "It has become obvious that Ms. Carlson and her lawyer are desperately attempting to litigate this in the press because they have no legal case to argue. The latest allegations, all 30 to 50 years old, are false."

Also Read: Fox News’ ‘Real Story’ Posts Record Ratings Without Gretchen Carlson
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Carlson’s claims against the Fox News boss has a variety of people offering their opinion

Gretchen Carlson's sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes has a variety of people offering their opinion. From Fox News hosts to former models, here are people who have taken a side publically.

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