Fox News Fires Bill O'Reilly After $13 Million Sexual Harassment Settlements - Trump Had Defended Him

Fox News fired its top-rated host Bill O’Reilly on April 19, 2017, after The New York Times revealed O’Reilly and 21st Century Fox had paid approximately $13 million to settle sexual harassment claims from at least five women over more than a decade. The women, who either worked for O’Reilly or appeared on his show, accused him of verbal abuse, lewd comments, unwanted advances and phone calls in which it sounded as if O’Reilly was masturbating. Dozens of advertisers fled The O’Reilly Factor following the revelations, despite viewership actually increasing to 3.77 million viewers. On April 5, President Trump had publicly defended O’Reilly in a New York Times interview, calling him a person he knew well and a good person, stating he did not think Bill did anything wrong and advising he should not have settled the cases. Trump’s defense of his propaganda ally amid credible sexual harassment claims mirrored his own Access Hollywood scandal and multiple sexual misconduct allegations. The firing came less than a year after Fox News CEO Roger Ailes resigned in July 2016 following similar sexual harassment accusations, revealing a pattern of sexual predation and cover-ups at the network that served as Trump’s primary propaganda outlet. O’Reilly’s $25 million annual salary and status as Fox top revenue generator—earning approximately $126 million in 2015—had protected him for years despite repeated settlements. The Murdoch family stated they reached the decision after a thorough and careful review of the allegations, though critics noted they had enabled the behavior for over a decade while profiting from it.