Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly saga may be coming to a head sooner than many people expected. After watching advertiser after advertiser pull out of the show over the last week-plus, people who wanted to see O’Reilly off the air seemingly got what they wanted on Tuesday night when the host announced he would be going on vacation at the end of the night’s telecast. Supposedly, that vacation is set to end in a few weeks and was planned in the fall, but reports have emerged that could be a wish granted for O’Reilly’s detractors as it may end up being a more…open ended break. A Fox spokesperson confirmed that as it stands he is meant to return to the air on April 24th.
A piece in New York Magazine laying out the main points of the situation reveals that James Murdoch is at odds with his brother Lachlan and his father Rupert when it comes to whether O’Reilly will ever appear on Fox News again after this “break.” Similar to last summer’s showdown, during which James came out on top in the battle of whether Roger Ailes should stay or leave the network, the younger son of the media scion believes the disgraced host should be fired while the elder wants to give him another chance.
The sexual harassment claims against O’Reilly are currently being investigated by Fox’s law firm, which also investigated the Ailes controversy almost a year ago. If no further action is taken before the end of the month, everyone will find out O’Reilly’s fate when April 24th has come and gone. According to one senior staffer at the company, the “assumption is that he’ll exit in a non-embarrassing way.” That non-embarrassing way could end up being a quiet departure during a “pre-planned” vacation.
(via New York Magazine)