Months before Bill O’Reilly was ousted from the network under allegations of sexual harassment, the Fox News commentator agreed to a $32 million sexual harassment settlement, which the network’s parent company were aware of before they offered to renew his contract the next month, The New York Times reports.
They formed the sixth agreement made by either O’Reilly or the company to settle allegations of sexual harassment against him.
Furthermore, the company stated Fox News “surely would have wanted to renew” O’Reilly’s contract, noting that “he was the biggest star in cable TV.”
The allegations, made by longtime network analyst Lis Wiehl, reportedly include repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship, and the sending of sexually explicit material.