This is a bombshell — and a HUGE blow against Bill O’Reilly‘s tenure at Fox News.
The New York Times released a report on Saturday morning and even the title itself was so strong, it trended on Twitter for much of the morning: Bill O’Reilly Thrives at Fox News, Even as Harassment Settlements Add Up.
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Whoa!! You’ve got our attention.
In the report, the Times found that Fox and O’Reilly have paid out at least $13 million to at least five women who have in turn agreed not to pursue sexual harassment or sexual assault allegations or litigation against the network’s #1 TV host.
We knew about a couple of these women already, but FIVE?!
Here we go… In the report, the Times wrote:
“An investigation by The New York Times has found a total of five women who have received payouts from either Mr. O’Reilly or the company in exchange for agreeing to not pursue litigation or speak about their accusations against him. The agreements totaled about $13 million … Two settlements came after the network’s former chairman, Roger Ailes, was dismissed last summer in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, when the company said there was no room for behavior that ‘disrespects women or contributes to an uncomfortable work environment.'”
Oh, those good ol’ family values Republicans, at it again…
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Seriously though — some of this stuff is disgusting and has no place in 2017.
The Times continued later on in the piece:
“The women who made allegations against Mr. O’Reilly either worked for him or appeared on his show. They have complained about a wide range of behavior, including verbal abuse, lewd comments, unwanted advances and phone calls in which it sounded as if Mr. O’Reilly was masturbating, according to documents and interviews. The reporting suggests a pattern: As an influential figure in the newsroom, Mr. O’Reilly would create a bond with some women by offering advice and promising to help them professionally. He then would pursue sexual relationships with them, causing some to fear that if they rebuffed him, their careers would stall … Of the five settlements, two were previously known ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ one for about $9 million in 2004 with a producer, and another struck last year with a former on-air personality, which The Times reported on in January.”
Crazy!!!
The Times went out and found important details about all the new claims, too — this is far deeper than Andrea Tantaros‘ allegations that we’ve been reporting on — and things now look really bleak for O’Reilly at Fox… we can only hope.
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One more cut from the NYT (below):
“Besides the women who reached settlements, two other women have spoken of inappropriate behavior by the host. A former regular guest on his show, Wendy Walsh, told The Times that after she rebuffed an advance from him he didn’t follow through on a verbal offer to secure her a lucrative position at the network. And a former Fox News host named Andrea Tantaros said Mr. O’Reilly sexually harassed her in a lawsuit she filed last summer against the network and Mr. Ailes.”
O’Reilly’s show is still #1 at Fox and these accusations would suggest a LONG term pattern of this shit… so we’re not really holding our breath that something is going to happen to Bill.
No, Bill O’Reilly thrives — and will continue to do so, just as the story suggests.
Ugh.
Our summary alone doesn’t do it justice, though; the whole Times report is worth a read, and you can do so HERE.
[Image via CBS.]
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