Mediaite founder Dan Abrams and LawNewz editor-in-chief Rachel Stockman appeared on CNN on Thursday in order to discuss the massive payout Bill O’Reilly is receiving as he leaves Fox News.
Abrams described how O’Reilly’s severance package was a near certainty, since Fox signed a new contract with him recently and both parties wanted to end things amicably. Stockman also noted previous reports about how Fox News knew about the initial sexual harassment allegations against O’Reilly, even as they were offering him a renewed contract.
Abrams went on to note how the first reported allegations led to a domino effect that resulted in investigations, new allegations, and other factors that put O’Reilly under pressure. CNN’s Ana Cabrera turned her attention to the defiant statement O’Reilly released after being let go, and she asked why the Fox host didn’t try to stick it out if the claims against him were “completely unfounded.”
Stockman noted that despite everything else, O’Reilly still stands to leave Fox with millions of dollars, and litigating the accusations is unnecessary when he is getting a “pretty good deal.” Abrams followed up by examining the possibilities for O’Reilly’s future, as well as how his following will look at the severance:
“I think Bill O’Reilly is going to be able to live a good life as Bill O’Reilly. There are going to be a lot of people are not going to see it the way that 21st Century Fox sees it, the way a lot of these women see it. They are going to see it as Bill O’Reilly got the raw end of the deal here and they are still going to be behind him because that’s what Bill O’Reilly is saying. He’s saying I got a raw deal here.”
Watch above, via CNN.
[Image via screengrab]
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