Bill O'Reilly Fox Show to be Canceled After Advertisers Pull Out Over Harassment Suit?
Cable television host Bill O'Reilly is currently facing a string of issues after a report from the New York Times uncovered that he (with the help of Fox) paid over $13 million throughout the years just to settle sexual harassment allegations from at least five women.
According to the New York Times, the women complained that O'Reilly either made unwanted advances, gave lewd comments, engaged in phone calls that sounded as if he were doing something inappropriate, or doled out verbal abuse.
O'Reilly is known as the titular host of "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News Channel, and this is not his first time to face such issues.
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According to the Huffington Post, one of the cases goes back to October 2004 when O'Reilly was accused of sexual harassment by a former Fox News producer named Andrea Mackris, who alleged that the host told her to "use your vibrator to blow off steam".
However, the issue with Mackris was settled days before the 2004 U.S. presidential elections - and after a settlement amounting to $9 million. From then on, O'Reilly continued to be a top-rated host in the network.
The women who filed allegations of harassment and abuse against the cable host were some of those who previously worked for him and a few who had appeared on the show.
One of those who had guested on his show but had not sued was Wendy Walsh, who had rejected O'Reilly's advances. Because of the rejection, the host did not follow-up on a previous offer to put Walsh in a good position under the network.
Despite this revelation, O'Reilly's show enjoyed an improvement in ratings for his talk show, which rose to 14 percent during the last week.
The show may have enjoyed better ratings, but it was not safe from advertising pull-outs. Many companies decided to remove their advertisements in the show in an effort to protect a good image and their branding.
According to a report from amNewYork, these include companies such as carmakers Mercedes-Benz, BMW, plus pharmaceutical brand Sanofi SA and mutual fund manager T. Rowe Price, among others. Other companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Hyundai also decided to suspend their advertising temporarily from O'Reilly's program.
As of now, there is no clear indication that his show will be canceled, though it may face a harder situation when more and more big companies decide to pull-out on a permanent basis.
To his defense, O'Reilly maintains that the allegations are all baseless.
Fox News' parent company 21st Century Fox acknowledged that they have discussed with him the issue he is facing. In a statement it gave, it said the host "has resolved those he regarded as his personal responsibility."
The amNewYork report also says the cable host found sympathy from U.S. President Donald Trump who believes that O'Reilly did nothing wrong and says that "he is a good person." However, the president disapproved of O'Reilly making settlements with the women because since he did not do anything wrong, he should have "taken it all the way."
