Bill O'Reilly, who was forced out of his role at Fox News following sexual harassment allegations this week, will reportedly receive a payout equivalent to a year's salary. Sources told the New York Times Thursday that O'Reilly will receive "up to $25 million." By comparison, sexual harassment allegation payouts for Fox News parent company 21st Century Fox are worth a combined $85 million. The "vast majority" of those have gone to the men who were removed from the network due to the allegations, with the Timesreporting that up to $65 million has been spent on severance.
"After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel," 21st Century Fox said in a statement Wednesday. The announcement came after a Timesreport at the top of the month claimed that “about $13 million” had been paid out across several years to a total of five women in exchange for halting their allegations.
The report, by Emily Steel and Michael S. Schmidt, said the women in question either worked for O'Reilly on the O'Reilly Factor or had made appearances on the program. Citing "documents and interviews," the Times said the complaints alleged a variety of behavior, ranging from verbal abuse to masturbating over the phone.
In a statement Wednesday on O'Reilly's behalf, attorney Marc Kasowitz called the allegations a "brutal campaign of character assassination.'
Tucker Carlson will now take over O'Reilly's programming slot.
