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.
Whoa!! You've got our attention.
In the report, the Times found that Fox has
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.
"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…
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
— 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!!!
According to Perezhilton, 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.
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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