Bill OReilly will no longer be employed at Fox News, the networks parent company 21st Century Fox said in a statement Wednesday. The decision comes after allegations of him sexually harassing female colleagues promptedprotests outside network headquarters and amass exodus from advertisers.After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill OReilly have agreed that Bill OReilly will not be returning to the Fox New Channel, the statement read.OReillyhad said mid-April that he was taking a vacation. The official departure from Fox is an unceremonious end for the host, who had anchored the top-rated cable news show The OReilly Factor since its inception more than 20 years ago. His stunning exit mirrors that of former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, who launched Fox News in 1996 and abruptlyleft the network last summer amid widespread sexual harassment allegations.Following a bombshell New York Times reportearlier this month indicating OReilly and Fox News have paid around $13 million in settlements to address complaints brought by five of his former female colleagues, advertisers began fleeing the show. Within days, more than 50 companies announced they would no longer air spots during the show.Fox News host Tucker Carlson will take over OReillys 8 p.m. time slot, according to several reports.New York magazinereportedthat Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, had advocated for keeping OReilly on board, while sons James and Lachlan had pushed for his departure.Though 21st Century Fox had pledged to clean up Fox News following the Ailes scandal,the Times revealed that the company continued to privately settle lawsuits with OReilly accusers and even renewed the hosts contract, reportedly at more than $20 million a year.The entertainment and media giant presumably stuck with OReilly because he has been a cash cow for Fox News. Hes the linchpin of the networks primetime lineup and his top-rated show is major draw when it comes to negotiating fees to carry the channel with cable and satellite providers. And The OReilly Factor brought in around $111 million in advertising dollars over a three-year period.But advertisers quickly began to feel the pressure from consumers following the Times report and allegations from a sixth woman, Wendy Walsh, who held a press conference two days after the story was published online.Mercedes-Benz was the first to announce its departure from the shows ad schedule. The allegations are disturbing and, given the importance of women in every aspect of our business, we dont feel this is a good environment in which to advertise our products right now, spokeswoman Donna Boland said.Fox News was forced to act, Media Matters president Angelo Carusone said Wednesday. Without advertisers, Bill OReillys show was no longer commercially viable. Fox News had no choice but to fire OReilly. Accountability came from the outside, not from within. Fox News deserves no accolades, only scorn for the industrial-scale harassment they have forced their employees to endure.In initial responses to the Times report that OReilly inappropriately propositioned women and retaliated against them when they turned him down, both he and the network issued statements saying no accusers ever called Foxs internal hotline, an 800 number employees can use to anonymously report concerns.Following the Times report, 21st Century Fox announced Sunday that law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison wouldconduct an investigation into the claims of Walsh, a former guest on OReillys show who accused him of reneging on a promise to get her a contributor deal after she rebuffed his advances.On Tuesday, civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom saidthat an African-American former clerical worker at Fox News, who remains anonymous, had claimed OReilly leered at her and called her hot chocolate.Bloom, who also represents Walsh,submitted arequestfor a second, independent probe to the New York State Division of Human Rights.That request comes as the U.S. attorneys office in New York is already investigating 21st Century Fox over whether the company properly notified investors about payments made to Ailes accusers.The recent allegations against OReilly arent the first time he was dogged by claims of sexual harassment.In 2004, OReilly settled a lawsuit filed by former Fox News producer Andrea Mackris, which contended that he spoke to her about sexual fantasies and masturbation.And Fox News has faced an advertiser boycott before. In a campaign led by the racial justice organizationColor of Changein 2009, advertisers began leaving former host Glenn Becks show after he called then-President Barack Obama a racist with a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.But OReilly and Fox News werent able to weather this latest scandal, which occurred in a different media environment.We werent in the same type of social media climate that we are in now, Rashad Robinson, the executive director of Color of Change, told The Huffington Post earlier this month.The speed and pace of peoples interest is different because of the participation age ... Companies are hearing from their consumers directly through Twitter.This is a breaking story. Check back for updates. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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