Bill O'Reilly Says 'the Truth Will Come Out' in First Broadcast Since Fox News Ouster
Bill O’Reilly made his first public broadcast on Monday since his abrupt departure from Fox News last week.
Since parting ways with the network last Wednesday amid sexual harassment accusations, the former O’Reilly Factor host returned with a new episode of his “No Spin News” podcast, which has run for years on his BillOReilly.com website.
To kick off the podcast, O’Reilly, 67, addressed his exit from Fox, admitting, “I am sad that I’m not on television anymore. I was very surprised how it all turned out. I can’t say a lot, because there’s much stuff going on right now.”
“But I can tell you that I’m very confident the truth will come out, and when it does, I don’t know if you’re going to be surprised - but I think you’re going to be shaken, as I am. There’s a lot of stuff involved here,” he continued. “Now, I can’t say anymore because I just don’t want to influence the flow of the information. I don’t want the media to take what I say and misconstrue it. You, as a loyal O’Reilly listener, have a right to know, I think, down the lane what exactly happened. And we are working in that direction, okay?”
Addressing a listener’s comment that it was “definitely Old School’ ” of him “to wish Fox News the best” after he left, O’Reilly said, “Look, I was there for twenty years and six months. We made history, put cable news on the map and were successful all that time. No ebb and flow, just straight up graph. You know, that vehicle was fabulous for me and I said in the beginning that I’m sad, but why wouldn’t I wish them the best? They were there, we performed well for them, and that’s the fact.”
The podcast, which is available to the website’s premium members, was the second time O’Reilly has publicly spoken since parting with Fox after 20 years at the network - the first being a statement he released after the news broke.
“Over the past 20 years at Fox News, I have been extremely proud to launch and lead one of the most successful news programs in history, which has consistently informed and entertained millions of Americans and significantly contributed to building Fox into the dominant news network in television,” he said at the time.
O’Reilly continued: “It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims. But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today. I will always look back on my time at Fox with great pride in the unprecedented success we achieved and with my deepest gratitude to all my dedicated viewers. I wish only the best for Fox News Channel.”
RELATED VIDEO: Bill O’Reilly Parts Ways with Fox News amid Sexual Harassment Allegations
In April, The New York Times reported that five women were paid a collective $13 million by O’Reilly and Fox News for agreeing not to file lawsuits or speak publicly about allegations that he harassed them. The settlements - involving women who have either worked with O’Reilly or appeared on his show - took place sporadically between 2002 and 2016.
Addressing the allegations, O’Reilly posted a statement to his website on April 1, emphasizing that his position has made him “vulnerable to lawsuits,” despite the fact that “no one has ever filed a complaint,” about him with the Human Resources Department.
“The worst part of my job is being a target for those who would harm me and my employer, the Fox News Channel,” he wrote. “Those of us in the arena are constantly at risk, as are our families and children. My primary efforts will continue to be to put forth an honest TV program and to protect those close to me.”
