According to the New York Times, sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior are part of a pattern for the embattled host. Women who appeared on or worked on O’Reilly’s show have complained about a wide range of behavior from the host, “including verbal abuse, lewd comments, unwanted advances and phone calls in which it sounded as if Mr. O’Reilly was masturbating.”
The women all said they snubbed his advances, and some claimed he penalized them as a result. One woman claimed O’Reilly had promised her a contributor job at Fox News after she appeared on his show, but when she rejected his sexual advances after a professional dinner, “I knew my hopes of a career at Fox News were in jeopardy after that evening,” Wendy Walsh told the Times. She was never hired.
Given the severity of the allegations, all of which O’Reilly denies, it is unconscionable that Fox News continues to employ him as host. Not only has O’Reilly proven himself to be an enormous and costly liability, there is no way any woman can work for the man and not feel unsafe. But Fox News does not care how many women are left traumatized and harassed in O’Reilly’s wake, as long as the profits outpace the lawsuits.
That won’t be difficult. According to the Kantar Media, cited in the Times, O’Reilly’s show has generated more than $446 million from ad revenue from 2014-2016. Even after subtracting O’Reilly’s $18 million yearly salary and $13 million in settlements, the show is still raking in upwards of $100 million a year for the network.
Article Appeared @http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a54253/oreilly-settlements/