Bill O'Reilly settled $32m sexual harassment claim before signing Fox News deal – report
Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News commentator who was forced to resign in April, agreed to a $32m sexual harassment settlement in January which the network’s parent knew about when it gave him a new contract the next month, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
The previously undisclosed agreement, at least the sixth involving O’Reilly or the company related to harassment charges against him, was “extraordinarily large” for such cases, according to the newspaper, which cited two people “briefed on the matter”.
Twenty-First Century Fox acknowledged it had been aware of O’Reilly’s settlement with Lis Wiehl, a former Fox News legal analyst, when it signed a contract extension with The O’Reilly Factor host in February.
In a statement emailed by spokesman Nathaniel Brown, the company said it “was informed by Mr O’Reilly that he had settled the matter personally, on financial terms that he and Ms Wiehl had agreed were confidential and not disclosed to the company”.
Neither O’Reilly or Wiehl could be reached immediately for comment. The Times reported O’Reilly as saying there was no merit to any of the allegations against him and adding: “I never mistreated anyone.”
According to the Times, Rupert Murdoch and his two sons, Lachlan and James, as top executives of 21st Century Fox, decided in January to retain O’Reilly despite being made aware of the fresh complaints. The next month, the company gave O’Reilly a contract extension worth $25m a year.
The disclosures follow allegations reported earlier this month by the New York Times and the New Yorker that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted a number of women in incidents dating back to the 1980s. Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the allegations and Weinstein, 65, has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.
The Weinstein allegations have set off a wave of anger and soulsearching over the issue of sexual harassment and assault. Millions of
women have shared their experiences, using the hashtag #MeToo on Twitter and with rolling posts on Facebook.
21st Century Fox said on Saturday it had added language to the new contract related to harassment, stipulating that O’Reilly faced dismissal if fresh allegations emerged or new information about existing allegations came to light. In April, after advertisers began to flee O’Reilly’s show, the company ended the commentator’s two-decade Fox News career.
In its statement on Saturday, 21st Century said it acted in April “based on the terms of this contract”, referring to the deal signed in February.
The Times reported on 1 April that Fox or O’Reilly had paid five women a total of $13m to settle harassment claims, before news of the sixth deal emerged. The women either worked for the host or appeared as guests on his program, the paper reported.
O’Reilly said in a statement at the time that he had settled only to spare his children from the controversy.
The O’Reilly Factor was the toprated show on Fox News. According to ad-tracking firm Kantar Media, it brought in $147.13m in advertising revenue in 2016.
O’Reilly’s exit followed the departure of former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. He was forced to resign in July 2016 after being accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women including former anchor Gretchen Carlson. Ailes, who died in May, repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
“21st Century Fox has taken concerted action to transform Fox News,” the company said on Saturday. Those steps include “installing new leadership, overhauling management and on-air talent, expanding training, and increasing the channels through which employees can report harassment or discrimination.”