Fox News Ratings Fall Back to Old Levels After Election, O'Reilly Drama

Fox News; Getty Images

It’s been one full year since Bill O’Reilly’s abrupt exit from Fox News, and there’s good and bad news for Tucker Carlson, his successor in the 8 p.m. ET slot.

The bad news: Carlson can’t touch the ratings Bill O’Reilly scored during the 2016 election and the first days of the Trump administration. The good news is that Carlson is beating O’Reilly’s ratings from before all that drama broke out — and more than holding his own in a slot that the disgraced host ruled for more than a decade.

The other good news: Fox News continues to dominate its competitors, CNN and MSNBC, as the No. 1 network in cable news, including in the 8 o’clock hour.

Also Read: Bill O'Reilly Slams 'Powerful, Shadowy, Radical' Boycott Against Laura Ingraham

O’Reilly’s 2016 and 2017 ratings were spectacular, but they were also amplified by the 2016 presidential election and early weeks of President Donald Trump in the White House. In 2016, O’Reilly rode the Trump train to an average of more than 3.3 million total viewers, and about 573,000 viewers in the key 25-54-year-old demographic coveted by advertisers.

In the first quarter of 2017 — his last full quarter on air — O’Reilly averaged more than 4 million viewers overall and 740,000 in the key demo.

In the first quarter of 2018, his successor, Tucker Carlson, averaged just under 3 million viewers daily, and just over 600,000 viewers in the demo — down from the last two years but beating O’Reilly’s numbers for Q1 of the pre-Trump era 2013, 2014 and 2015.

And the primetime newbie was well ahead of his time-slot competitors. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes was just shy of 2 million viewers and 422,000 in the demo for the first quarter of 2018, while CNN’s Anderson Cooper drew 1.17 million viewers, with 394,000 in the demo for the first hour of “AC360.”

“The ratings for ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ continue to exceed our expectations and we’re thrilled that he has dominated the timeslot since moving to 8 p.m.” a network spokesperson told TheWrap.

Also Read: Fox News Employees Split Over Sean Hannity Disclosure: 'I'm F-ing Livid' to 'It's a Nothing Burger'

O’Reilly was fired from Fox News on April 19, 2017, weeks after the New York Times reported that he and Fox News had paid $13 million in settlements with numerous women who had accused the star of sexual harassment. The news prompted an advertiser boycott that led to his final episodes running almost commercial-free.

After his departure, the Times revealed the existence of an additional O’Reilly settlement totaling $32 million — a deal the New York Times said Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, was aware of.

O’Reilly was fired from Fox News before the broader awareness brought on by the #MeToo movement swept Hollywood and the news media last year.

The host has continued to remain in the public eye, both on Twitter, his own web show and occasionally as a contributor to Newsmax TV.

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.
Mitsubishi/BMW
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.
Getty Images/Fox News
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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