Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Bill O'Reilly Andy Kropa/AP

Bill O'Reilly's future at Fox hangs in balance over sexual harassment claims

Executives are reportedly “preparing to cut ties” with the presenter.

BILL O’REILLY’S FUTURE at Fox News remains uncertain amid an ongoing investigation into sexual harassment allegations.

The conservative presenter is currently on leave while Fox News Channel’s parent company looks into a woman’s accusation that her career was slowed when she spurned O’Reilly’s advances.

Dozens of advertisers have dropped The O’Reilly Factor following reports of harassment settlements paid to other women. O’Reilly has denied any wrongdoing.

The pressure is mounting on O’Reilly and 21st Century Fox, which is looking into at least one complaint about his behaviour.

The Wall Street Journal — a newspaper owned by the same Murdoch family that owns Fox News Channel — reported late yesterday that Fox executives were “preparing to cut ties” with O’Reilly. A spokesman for 21st Century Fox declined to comment to AP.

Earlier, lawyer Lisa Bloom said she was representing a former clerical worker at Fox who complained that day to a hotline established at Fox about O’Reilly’s behaviour during her six months working there in 2008.

‘Hot chocolate’ 

The woman, who is African American, said O’Reilly referred to her as “hot chocolate” at one point when they were together alone, made grunting noises and leered at her cleavage and legs, Bloom said. The woman said she never had a direct conversation with O’Reilly.

The woman, who is not contemplating any legal action, reported being “very stressed and disillusioned” about her job and believed she would be fired if she complained to anyone, Bloom said.

Marc Kasowitz, O’Reilly’s lawyer, said it was “outrageous that an allegation from an anonymous person about something that purportedly happened almost a decade ago is being treated as fact, especially where there is obviously an orchestrated campaign by activists and lawyers to destroy Mr O’Reilly and enrich themselves through publicity driven donations”.

It wasn’t immediately clear who he was referring to.

Bloom, who represents another woman who has complained about O’Reilly’s behavior, said she is not taking payment for the O’Reilly cases.

Later, Kasowitz said O’Reilly has been subject to a “brutal campaign of character assassination” that is unprecedented in more than 70 years. He said he had evidence that a smear campaign is being orchestrated by “far-left organisations,” but he didn’t immediately release any.

Meanwhile, women’s rights group UltraViolet yesterday said it planned to hire an airplane with a banner, as well as drop off petitions at Fox News Channel’s New York headquarters, calling for O’Reilly to lose his job at the network.

Ratings dropping

During O’Reilly’s time off, his show’s viewership declined by 23% in the hands of substitutes Dana Perino, Eric Bolling and Greg Gutfeld.

Nielsen company figures show that, so far, viewers aren’t as interested in The O’Reilly Factor without O’Reilly.

Perino has done the best, with her 3.15 million viewers on Monday, down 16% from O’Reilly’s performance a week earlier. Bolling also showed a 16% drop from O’Reilly a week earlier, and he reached 3.11 million viewers.

The 2.32 million who watched Gutfeld on Friday was down 39% from the previous Friday and, alarmingly, was even lower than Tucker Carlson’s audience at 9pm. Carlson usually benefits from O’Reilly’s strong lead-in.

Still, the substitutes beat their cable news competition. And Fox pointed out that the network finished last week ahead of all cable networks in viewership, as it has for much of this year.

O’Reilly’s viewership spiked in the days following a New York Times report on the harassment allegations on 2 April. In the week that followed, viewership increased to an average of 3.71 million, up 12% from the week before the report and 28% over the same week in 2016.

O’Reilly averaged nearly four million viewers a night for the first three months of 2017, his best performance ever. Viewership tends to drop with the arrival of daylight savings time.

Read: Major companies pull ads from Bill O’Reilly’s show over sexual harassment claims

Opinion: ‘Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly will be replaced by another big mouth, cheering Trump on’

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
22 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Harlowe Brendan
    Favourite Harlowe Brendan
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 10:32 AM

    A vile man who is around much longer than he deserves to be. Caught lying an infinite amount of times about the most amazing things. However fox will probably replace him with something as equally backwards.

    142
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ó Connmhaigh
    Favourite Ó Connmhaigh
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 1:05 PM

    He earns around $38 million a year from Fox as his show generates a staggering more than $450 million a year in advertising.
    But reports say he’s forked out more than $15 million in out-of-court settlements to women at Fox who’ve taken out cases against him.
    Looks like they’ll cut their losses with him, but probably replace him with someone similar.

    37
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave O Keeffe
    Favourite Dave O Keeffe
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 1:16 PM

    @Ó Connmhaigh: advertisers have been backing out for about two weeks now

    17
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Rob Cahill
    Favourite Rob Cahill
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 2:10 PM

    @Ó Connmhaigh: “but probably replace him with someone similar.”

    I would hope no one else would be that stupid on the planet.. Tide goes in, Tide goes out.. No one knows why!?!

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Soccer T's
    Favourite Soccer T's
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 10:31 AM

    He shouldn’t be disciplined unless these accusations are proven to be true. As much as I detest the guy everyone is entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. Same applies to Trump and the many allegations against him. If any of those allegations are proven he should immediately step down or in Trumps case, face impeachment

    80
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Soccer T's
    Favourite Soccer T's
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 10:32 AM

    @Soccer T’s: I know I know, such a leftie liberal thing to say (smh)

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Veronica
    Favourite Veronica
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:13 AM

    @Elle Belle: That’s not the real Daisy Chainsaw, it’s some sap with a fake account.

    24
    See 5 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute George Roche
    Favourite George Roche
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:16 AM

    @Daisy Chainsaw: At the risk of being accused of white knighting, it’s an absolute dick move copying her profile.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Old Gabby Johnson
    Favourite Old Gabby Johnson
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:26 AM

    @Daisy Chainsaw: Wow – how sad does one have to be – to create a fake account, get a new mobile number all because they get ‘triggered’ by someone else… that is some stalker angry behaviour right there. Jesus Christ monkey balls.

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Veronica
    Favourite Veronica
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:41 AM

    @Daisy Chainsaw: Following on from George, it’s also a total loser move. It’s the middle of the day and you’re on here making fake accounts of people online… That’s bleedin desperate.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Old Gabby Johnson
    Favourite Old Gabby Johnson
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:43 AM

    @Daisy Chainsaw: Yeah its exactly the same thing. you sad sad individual.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Canning
    Favourite Tony Canning
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:45 AM

    @Old Gabby Johnson: This is someone using the name of another user. They should be banned.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Les Behan
    Favourite Les Behan
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 10:36 AM

    Excellent, now do Sean Hannity.

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shane Kinsella
    Favourite Shane Kinsella
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:04 AM

    Tide goes in tide goes out! Lol he still can’t explain it.

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute mrmeade
    Favourite mrmeade
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 4:59 PM

    The Journal need to bring back the red thumbs, this format is awful.

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Daly
    Favourite Tony Daly
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 10:40 AM

    It’s all a conspiracy by leftie, snowflake, libtards feminists and femininazis who are ganging up on poor Bill just because Bill is a white old man. Bill O’Reilly want just having a bit of oul fun and meant no malice at all, at all. Poor Bill.

    28
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Canning
    Favourite Tony Canning
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:12 AM

    @Elle Belle: it’s an employment matter for faux’ s hr department when it comes to him being fired.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Canning
    Favourite Tony Canning
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 11:47 AM

    @Daisy Chainsaw: Thanks clone

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ossi Fritsche
    Favourite Ossi Fritsche
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 10:31 AM

    This has been known for a long time, the fact that Bill O’Reilly didn’t support Trump shows how inept Foxnews is.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute deisecelt
    Favourite deisecelt
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 2:50 PM

    @Ossi Fritsche: what were you watchin?

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute George McCarthy
    Favourite George McCarthy
    Report
    Apr 19th 2017, 8:17 PM

    I heard his mentor was Jimmy Saville.

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds