Tonight! Stephen Colbert wonders: what is #BillOReilly going to do now? #LSSC pic.twitter.com/dibyuNjuPv
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) April 21, 2017
It is officially the post-Bill O’Reilly era at Fox News. After years of sexual harassment allegations and pay offs, O’Reilly is out at the news network with a large golden parachute and a fractured reputation that isn’t quite completely broken just yet. The anchor, who had been with the conservative network for more than a decade, was on “vacation” when the decision was made so didn’t even get the chance to say a proper goodbye to his audience and instead released a standard and professional statement in lieu of an on-air farewell.
While many may miss O’Reilly’s presence on television, others may not and the latter group probably hope he stays off air forever no matter the circumstance. That probably won’t be the case, since the anchor has enough remaining supporters to make it worthwhile for a niche channel or website to give him another deal. But what exactly will O’Reilly do next? That’s exactly what Stephen Colbert is taking a stab at figuring out in his latest O’Reilly-related clip. For help, Colbert dug into the novel O’Reilly wrote 20 years ago, “Those Who Trespass,” which is has the now-almost-unbelievable dedication “to the women in my life.”
While the book might not be completely accurate in the ways it hints at possible next steps for O’Reilly, it’s nice to imagine that’s so. Anything is possible now that O’Reilly has been ousted from his longtime home, after all.