I continuously find it mystifying when people act so shocked by information which has already been widely circulated for years. For years – if not decades – we’ve known that Bill O’Reilly was a misogynistic and racist piece of trash. There was plenty of on-camera evidence, just as there were plenty of stories about how he behaved when he was off-camera too. Advertisers still stuck with him. Fox News still stuck with him, even when they were paying out millions of dollars to protect him from sexual harassment lawsuits. Those payouts became the story a few weeks ago, when the NYT published a lengthy report on O’Reilly’s victims and his history of harassment and unprofessional behavior. Advertisers have been fleeing ever since, and last week, O’Reilly abruptly announced that he was “going on vacation.”
There were many rumors that the younger Murdochs (James and Lachlan) were trying to convince their dad Rupert Murdoch to cut ties with O’Reilly completely and just fire him. New York Magazine reported yesterday that James and Lachlan’s efforts have gathered steam, especially given the exodus of advertisers. NY Mag also said that the Murdochs are concerned about their takeover bid of Sky and firing O’Reilly would apparently go a long way to prove that Murdochs aren’t running an empire based on protecting lecherous old white dudes. The Wall Street Journal basically confirms that the Murdochs are leaning into the idea that O’Reilly must go and that Fox News is “preparing to cut ties” with O’Reilly. The Wall Street Journal is owned by the Murdochs, so they would know.
Also: There’s yet another story about O’Reilly being a gigantic creep. In 2008, Fox News employed an African-American woman to do clerical work around the office. Her desk happened to be near O’Reilly’s office, and this is how he behaved: “He would never talk to her, not even hello, except to grunt at her like a wild boar. He would leer at her. He would always do this when no one else was around and she was scared.” He also called her “hot chocolate” at some point. Her lawyer says that she did report the harassment to the hotline too.
Update: YAY, O’Reilly was officially sh-tcanned!
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I wonder how many tens of millions of dollars he will be paid to “resign”.
Agreed but I’m still happy to see him go.
He is costing them a lot of money. It becomes more about the bottom line. I’m still not sure if he will actually go. Just off the air for a time until the tide passes.. unless there are more women in the wings waiting to file a lawsuit.
He is a rich, privileged, white, old male. Unfortunately that means, that he will always be fine. No matter what. Does not matter if he will stay with Fox or not. If they fire him, they will also pay him a lot of money. He will get offers elsewhere. Or write books.
Even if there are more women to file lawsuits- it took over 20 women to file against Bill Cosby to get this story going and still nothing major happend.
sad times
Henry Holt is his publisher, and they’re continuing to bring out his books. He’ll probably also surface on some other news outlet. (Breitbart?)
It’s lovely to see such a truly vile person get the ax, but I won’t be happy until Fox News shuts down and Rupert Murdoch burns in hell.
Fox News has done this country so much damage.
Agree. One of the worse things to happen to this country is the rise of Murdoch & company.
Spot on Megan. It’s been horrifying to see previously reasonable people become brainwashed by Fox propaganda. I guess I’m naive to think O’Reilly’s departure would signal a shift in Fox’s agenda?
Totally agree. Faux News has been a cesspool of misogyny and racism all along. What really creeps me out is that O’Reilly was a schoolteacher.
EW i didnt know that! THE HELL! That is messed up
Totally agree.
Co-sign!
According to Megyn Kelly, the Murdochs are really upstanding when it comes to the issue of sexual assault in the workplace. The got rid of Roger v quickly and trusted all the women immediately. I suspect they did the same to them here.
You people really ought to stop being so intolerant of people with other opinions. That is all the Murdochs are.
They are so “upstanding”, they ok’d their company paying out at least 5 claims and over $13M because of a habitual sexual abuser on their staff. They were cool with that and did nothing to stop it, allowing it to continue for YEARS and for more women to be abused. They only did something when the public outcry was too much and affected the sponsors of the show.
You really ought to stop being so tolerant of women being abused in the workplace.
I’m glad they canned Bill and Roger, but I don’t believe for a second it came out of doing the right thing- it all comes down to money. If it didn’t, both would have gotten the ax years ago.
Good. Now we need to get rid of that smarmy lying POS hannity and maybe some people will start thinking again.
Even if he is fired, he’ll be just fine. He’ll get a big payout, go to another network and get a huge pay raise. White men like O’Reilly and Trump will always be OK, because no one really gives a sh*t about women–including women themselves.
Jenns:
Where would he go? The only other conservative network I know from is NewsMax. Surely he’ll continue to publish, etc. But what TV network would take him on?
He’s radioactive.
He’ll go somewhere. He’ll take a little break, just long enough for some people to forget, and then he’ll be back. Given the mess that CNN can be, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him over there. Networks are all about ratings. And he pulls big numbers. His career is far from over.
Trump tv? It’s going to happen at some stage.
Breitbart News. It’s coming too.
Or TheBlaze…there are more conservative news outlets than Fox News.
he’ll start a podcast or something. he’ll be ok. i’m still happy that he’s getting canned but its not like it will impact him at all. it sucks.
White alpha males like O’Reilly and Trump will always land on their feet. Their mindset is that they rule the world and everyone else must bow to them. He’ll be just fine….his privilege will always protect him.
This totally. Sad AF but completely and utterly true.
I’ll be happy if he no longer has a forum.
He Came for Maxine, Maxine, who DIDN’T SEND FOR HIS DRIED CRUSTY PREDATORY BEACHED FRANKENSTEIN ASS AT ALL Promptly, swiftly, dismissively gave you kids the receipt, which in the Woke Era served to bring the heat right back to where it needed to be THE ISSUES, Like she, Proud Black Woman Told you she would.. .. And NOW this F*cktroll Is getting kicked from the bridge he was guarding and also the Bridge Owners losing money and sponsors .. And Maxine? Mama Maxine spent the weekend wearing an embroidered jean Jacket serving you girls a Lip and a Delightful Millennial Pink Ensemble WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE ABOUT IT!!
Nothing not to love. And when the ax falls, he will make a BS on air speech about how he decided it was “time to move on.” I will be there to scream and throw my flip flops at the TV.
Yes! I hope he has nightmares about Maxine. I know she doesn’t have bad dreams about him because she is so damn far above his ass. I want to burn that bridge & light a smoke on the flames as we walk on by.
Maxie is EVERYTHING! Maxine will be at the giving end of a verbal bit*hslap that takes down a Tangerine Puppet Emperor.
LOVE Maxine.
Maxine is everything and #boibye to… Well, your description is perfection.
Maxine Waters? I didnt hear her go back after O’Reilly after he disgustingly mocked her, but she has been relentless in going after Trump and not mincing any words! I love her. She is one of the bravest politicians in the country.
And Oreilly should have been fired eons ago. Definitely after mocking Maxine.
I looooove Maxine.
First it’s O’Reilly. Then–please, please, please–Hannity. That’ll be the beginning of the end of FOX News. Beck is already gone as is Van Susteran. And, of course, Ailes.
The end is in sight.
If only. Hannity is definitely the next domino that needs to fall. I can’t stand the site of his obnoxious smug face. Such a hateful, disgusting person.
Don’t we all know men like this? O’Reilley is of an era where his treatment of women might not seem wrong to him. P*ssygrabbing Trump is the same as are many people who voted for Trump. I wish both would disappear and spend the rest of their days together on a deserted island. They can take Cosby and Roger Ailes with them.
So true. Many of the women who voted against Hillary stated it was no big deal about Trump’s harassment allegations. It was just par for the course and no big deal as far as they were concerned. Women can be their own worst enemy.
They’re all old, flaccid and angry; life’s nearly at an end for them. Thank goodness. Can’t come soon enough.
This.
Yes. I’m an attorney, but of he can’t locate his secretary quickly enough, my 72 year old male boss will walk into my office and direct me to copy, scan or staple documents for him. I’ve been here 6 months and still haven’t figured out how to tell him to go f**k himself.
Ugh. Maybe “I’m busy with (attorney things) at the moment, but let’s find an assistant to take care of that for you”? Or “go **** yourself” works too, lol!
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy …
Ha! Bye! I’m leaving work early, the ticker tape parade starts at 2:00!
Look he’ll get a bunch of money, whatever, he was rich anyway, but this is a good solid blow to the ego. It’s not enough, but it’s something.
I’ll never forget reading about his custody case and how his own teenage children hate him and want nothing to do with him. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
He’s such a pig.
If Bill’s lucky maybe he can get his old job back at Inside Edition
LOL!
I’m so glad that we are all talking about this. This is no longer going to be tolerated by anyone, especially the younger generation.
Eh, do rich white men ever really lose?
Not really….but they FEEL like they do. And now he’s officially fired 🎈🎉
Yes they FEEL like “oh I’m being oppressed and misunderstood and discriminated against and it’s evil feminists and it’s all so unfair whaaaaaa!” 😏
I hope he’s seething.
DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD. Fox has officially announced that O’Reilly has been fired!!! Bye, Felicia
Just came to say this ^ Ciao Bill!
😀
This makes me so happy. Never liked him- like -at all. I was shocked when I found out last year that one of my best friend’s Uncles, who I’ve known since childhood, is one of O’Reilly’s good friends. Bill took him and some of his other buds on an all BRO trip last year. I’ve known my friend’s Uncle for 40+ years and only to be a good man. To me, his family, and extended family. The two must’ve met in college and became friends. You know something’s up when someone keeps a friendship like that under wraps for so long…
I’ve also read that O’Reilly is a wife-beater and he dragged his ex-wife up and down stairs. I’m not sure if his daughter witnessed it, but she hates him. This is all public. Why is this not a problem?
Glad to see this dirtbag out of a job! Curious, though, about what fresh hell James and Lachlan Murdoch has in store for us. I don’t trust them any more than their father. I fear they will style up their right-wing message to spoon feed millennials.