Everyone is now bashing Fox News over this damaging report in the New York Times showing how far they went to retain Bill O’Reilly despite the sexual allegations against him.
Last January, six months after Fox News ousted its chairman amid a sexual harassment scandal, the network’s top-rated host at the time, Bill O’Reilly, struck a $32 million agreement with a longtime network analyst to settle new sexual harassment allegations, according to two people briefed on the matter — an extraordinarily large amount for such cases.
Although the deal has not been previously made public, the network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, acknowledges that it was aware of the woman’s complaints about Mr. O’Reilly. They included allegations of repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her, according to the people briefed on the matter.
It was at least the sixth agreement — and by far the largest — made by either Mr. O’Reilly or the company to settle harassment allegations against him. Despite that record, 21st Century Fox began contract negotiations with Mr. O’Reilly, and in February granted him a four-year extension that paid $25 million a year.
And they resigned him.
The irony of this new report is not escaping the critics of Fox News:
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/921793153811865601O'Reilly's rep is quoted saying: "We hope that all the leaks coming out of Fox are not designed to hurt Bill O'Reilly in the marketplace" https://t.co/XruthJu7Kr
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 21, 2017
$32 Million settlement paid by @BillOReilly for alleged sexual harassment and a “nonconsensual sexual relationship” https://t.co/KZI5bYcLXl
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 21, 2017
O'Reilly paid six women $45 million to settle claims of sexual harassment and abuse AND THEN WROTE A KIDS BOOK ABOUT GOOD MANNERS pic.twitter.com/EGZ5lioSdG
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) October 21, 2017
When Fox extended O'Reilly's contract, it was publicly saying that it had cleaned up its workplace in the wake of the Ailes scandal. https://t.co/RGIS1MwJJ7
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) October 21, 2017
And now every host is ripping on Hollywood for protecting Weinstein, without a HINT of shame. Amazing.