Fox News is parting ways with Bill O’Reilly, who for years stood as one of cable news’ most popular hosts. The network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, announced the move Wednesday in a statement.
“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,” the statement read.
The host’s top-rated program, The O’Reilly Factor, had recently suffered an exodus of advertisers amid revelations that O’Reilly, Fox News and 21st Century Fox quietly paid out roughly $13 million in settlements to five women who had accused him of sexual harassment.
As we reported last week, an independent analysis by the the ad-tracking firm iSpot.tv showed O’Reilly’s program had lost about half its advertisers in a span of several weeks due to the allegations.
O’Reilly — who has denied the claims — has been off the air since last week, when he announced he would be taking a vacation. At that time, O’Reilly said he planned to return to the program on April 24. It remains unclear whether the network will allow the host to say a farewell of his own on air.
Tucker Carlson will replace O’Reilly in the 8 p.m. ET time slot.
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