“But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today,” he said. “I will always look back on my time at Fox with great pride in the unprecedented success we achieved and with my deepest gratitude to all my dedicated viewers. I wish only the best for Fox News Channel.”
Mr. O’Reilly’s departure is the latest development in a tumultuous nine months at Fox News. In the aftermath of Mr. Ailes’s dismissal in July, the Murdochs pledged to clean up the network’s culture. But since then, it has been hit with new sexual harassment allegations, and female staff members said they remained fearful of reporting inappropriate behavior.
Mr. O’Reilly’s dismissal was hailed by women’s rights activists and some inside the company as a sign that the network, and perhaps corporate culture at large, was finally taking the issue of sexual harassment seriously.
Document: Bill O’Reilly’s Statement
“This is a seismic cultural shift, when a corporation puts a woman’s rights above the bottom line,” said Wendy Walsh, a former guest on Mr. O’Reilly’s show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” who made allegations against him. “Today, we have entered a new era in workplace politics.”
But even on Wednesday, after the ouster, some employees said they were skeptical about whether the treatment of women at Fox News would actually change.
The decision to force out Mr. O’Reilly, who was considered the network’s top asset, was a stunning reversal for a company that had long stood by him. After the dismissal of Mr. Ailes last July, the company reached two settlements involving sexual harassment complaints against Mr. O’Reilly.
The company also extended his contract this year. The contract did provide the company with some protections, including that Mr. O’Reilly could be dismissed if it was made aware of other allegations against him or if new ones arose, according to one person. The contract also included extra assurances meant to get Mr. O’Reilly to address his behavior, the person said. Mr. O’Reilly’s salary was estimated to be about $18 million.
Read the Times Investigation That Led to Bill O’Reilly’s Dismissal
21st Century Fox initially stood by Mr. O’Reilly as he faced a series of allegations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior.
In response to The Times’s investigation, Mr. O’Reilly and 21st Century Fox had said that no current or former Fox News employee had raised concerns about him through a company hotline. That changed on April 5 when Ms. Walsh, who had related complaints about Mr. O’Reilly to The Times, called the hotline to report her allegations.
The Murdochs then enlisted the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to investigate Mr. O’Reilly’s behavior. Since then, other complaints have been lodged, including one on Wednesday by a current Fox News contributor who said Mr. O’Reilly had made inappropriate comments to her, urging her to show more cleavage at work.
Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Ailes have denied the allegations against them.
Mr. O’Reilly has been an anchor at Fox News since he joined the network in 1996. His departure is a significant blow to the Fox News lineup, which has dominated the prime-time cable news ratings. In January, the network lost another star, Megyn Kelly.
He will be succeeded in the 8 p.m. Eastern slot by Tucker Carlson, who moved into the channel’s prime-time lineup only in January. “The Five,” an ensemble political round table, will move to 9 p.m. from the afternoon.
Growing Importance to Fox
Bill O’Reilly was an essential asset to Fox News. His No. 1 cable news show made about $178 million in advertising revenue in 2015, and gained viewers in the prelude to the election and since. Meanwhile, Fox News’s financial contribution to its parent company, 21st Century Fox, has also been growing.
More people had been watching Bill O’Reilly’s show on Fox News …
Weekly averages of total daily viewers of “The O’Reilly Factor”
… and Fox News accounts for a significant,
and growing, share of its parent company’s profits.
Fox News’s share of the company total
Fox News’s share of the company total
In a letter to staff members on Wednesday, Rupert, James and Lachlan Murdoch avoided any mention of the reported allegations against Mr. O’Reilly and praised him as “one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news.” The letter said, “His success, by any measure, is indisputable.”
It also said the decision “follows an extensive review done in collaboration with outside counsel.”
On his show Wednesday night — the title shortened to just “The Factor” — the substitute host, Dana Perino, paid tribute to Mr. O’Reilly, calling him “the undisputed king of cable news.”
One woman who had hesitated for months to voice her complaints came forward on Wednesday to report inappropriate behavior by Mr. O’Reilly to Paul, Weiss. The woman, Jehmu Greene, said she had decided to call the firm after she received no response to an email she sent to a network executive more than a week ago to schedule a meeting to discuss her concerns.
Bill O’Reilly’s Show Lost More Than Half Its Advertisers in a Week
Which companies are still advertising on “The O’Reilly Factor” a week after The New York Times published a story detailing how $13 million had been paid out to address complaints from women about Mr. O’Reilly’s behavior.
Ms. Greene said that instances of harassment occurred when she was a regular guest on the network but before she became a network contributor in November 2010. Ms. Greene disclosed her allegations to The Times in the fall but decided to go on the record this week.
She reported that in late 2007, Mr. O’Reilly had told her she should show more cleavage when she was in the makeup room.
About two years later, Ms. Greene was making an appearance on Mr. O’Reilly’s show. Before the segment, the two discussed a bet they had made for dinner. She had won the bet, but Mr. O’Reilly had never paid up.
Ms. Greene said Mr. O’Reilly then told her that while she might want to “break his bank” with the restaurant choice, he “was more interested in breaking my back.”
“I don’t think that these comments were focused from a sexual standpoint,” Ms. Greene said. “I think they were more of a power standpoint to put me in my place.”
Later in the day, shortly after the network’s announcement, one of Mr. O’Reilly’s accusers spoke out.
“Wow, big news day…I have merit!” Rebecca Gomez Diamond, a former Fox Business Network host, wrote in a Twitter post. Ms. Gomez Diamond received a payout from Mr. O’Reilly in 2011 after she accused him of sexually harassing her.
While Mr. O’Reilly has lost his perch atop cable news, his lucrative publishing career, for the moment, does not appear to be in jeopardy. In its first public statement since the news of the women’s allegations broke, Henry Holt, Mr. O’Reilly’s publisher, indicated that it would continue to publish his books, which have been best sellers. “Our plans have not changed,” a company spokeswoman wrote in an email.
Even if Holt sticks with Mr. O’Reilly, sales of his books will almost certainly decline without the benefit of his position at Fox, which he used to promote his books to millions of viewers.
Alexandra Alter and Sydney Ember contributed reporting.
Mark Schaffer
What took so long for the group claiming the moral high ground to get rid of a sexual predator? In a word: money.Thus is corruption the...
Carl LaFong
I just read the online version of today's NY Post. The Post, owned by the Murdochs, did not have any coverage at all about the O'Reilly exit...