Mika Brzezinski: Trump’s defense of O’Reilly ‘disgusting’

The backlash is a response to a report in The New York Times that O’Reilly has paid $13 million to settle lawsuits with five women in the past 15 years.

More advertisers fled Bill O’Reilly’s show on Wednesday, with drugmaker Pfizer and real-estate company Coldwell Banker among the latest to distance themselves.

“We value our partners and are working with them to address their current concerns about The O’Reilly Factor”, said Paul Rittenberg, EVP of advertising sales at Fox News, in a statement. Buyers place ads across multiple programmes on a network; many ads will shift to other Fox News shows.

One sign in O’Reilly’s favor: The Wall Street Journal reported that Fox renewed his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the year, while fully aware of the accusations, which stretch back more than a decade. They’re taking a look at them because this really is a sexual harassment enterprise.

The systematic harassment and silencing of female employees at Fox News is well-documented and abundantly clear.

Though The O’Reilly Factor is hemorrhaging advertisers (more than 40 companies have suspended or dropped ads), viewership of Fox News’ top-rated show is climbing: On Monday and Tuesday it had 3.7 million and 3.8 million viewers, respectively, up 14% from the same two nights last week. “They are not wanting to do business with them anymore because of the way they have created this record of sexual harassment”.

The settlement also ended the prospect that Carlson would take the stand in a suit against Ailes or share any evidence of harassment she had against him.

And he was forced to apologise when a tape of him making lewd comments about women was leaked. “It’s a hard decision because advertising isn’t the only way they make their money, but it’s a significant way in which they make their money”. On Thursday, more than 40 companies had said they weren’t running commercials on O’Reilly’s show, according to CNN, which has maintained a count. He and several Fox News executives are presently under FBI investigation for using corporate funds as hush payments for the company’s sexual harassment victims. A NY appeals court granted McPhilmy residential custody of the couple’s two children, and O’Reilly filed a separate suit against his ex-wife in the amount of $10 million accusing her of infidelity. Sexual assault and harassment are larger societal problems, and while the outrage now aimed at O’Reilly is valid and necessary, advertisers should be sure they don’t lose sight of the the bigger picture.