Bill O'Reilly Goes On 'Vacation' As Sexual Harassment Scandal Festers

MANHATTAN, NY — Bill O'Reilly announced on air that he will be taking a vacation from his show starting Wednesday, leading many to speculate that the embattled Fox News host, currently embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal, may be on his way out. His show, "The O'Reilly Factor," has been hemorrhaging advertisers since the New York Times reported that Fox News Channel and Bill O'Reilly have spent around $13 million to settle sexual harassment and misconduct claims against the conservative pundit.

Corporate sponsors of Fox sensed that O'Reilly was becoming a toxic asset and dropped their ads from his show by the dozen. Big name brands, including Advil, GlaxoSmithKline, and Mercedes-Benz stopped airing commercials on "The Factor." Though some of these allegations had been previously reported, a recent complaint from Wendy Walsh, who said her rejection of O'Reilly's romantic advances cost her a job, fueled the outrage. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

So when O'Reilly said on air that he'd be taking a two week vacation, some suspected that Fox News was preparing to let him go. A Fox News spokesperson told Patch that the vacation was pre-planned — implying the timing was unrelated to the sexual harassment allegations — and that O'Reilly would return on April 24. However, the spokesperson would not confirm on the record that he would return to hosting the show.

O'Reilly has long been a major ratings magnet for his network; his personal brand and fiery espousal of conservative viewpoints have earned him a devoted fan base and millions of nightly viewers. Even as the current scandal brews and advertisers abandoned his show, his ratings have only risen.

According to New York Magazine, four sources at Fox News said that O'Reilly's days at the network may be numbered — and that number might even be zero. The magazine reports that James Murdoch, son of News Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch and CEO of 21st Century Fox, wants O'Reilly gone. Tuesday night's episode may turn out to have been the last broadcast of "The Factor."

NBC News reported Tuesday that Fox News has tapped the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to investigate the allegations against O'Reilly. This same law firm investigated former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, an investigation that led to his stepping down.

Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that both Fox News Channel and Bill O'Reilly have spent around $13 million combined in settling sexual harassment lawsuits, according to the New York Times.

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