Bill O'Reilly pays $32 MILLION in sexual harrassment settlement!?!
Bill O'Reilly Outted For Sexual Harrassment Accusations
The late-night host jokes O'Reilly's massive settlement is "exactly the sort of thing you do when you're innocent."
Stephen Colbert devoted nearly five minutes of his talk show Monday night to railing on Bill O'Reilly's alleged $32 million sexual harassment settlement and Fox News for extending his contract despite knowing his accusers's allegations.
Over the weekend, The New York Times reported the former host settled after former Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl accused him of sending sexually explicit material -- including gay porn -- to her, as well as made allegations of "repeated harassment" and a "nonconsensual sexual relationship." He reportedly settled the claim in January with the multi-million dollar payout.
night host also pointed out that Wiehl would appear on "The O'Reilly Factor" for a segment called "Is It Legal?" -- "and the answer, for $32 million: No, it is not. Thank you for playing. Security will see you out."
Fox renewed their contract with O'Reilly after the settlement, signing him for another four years for $25 million each year. The network says they knew about the suit but not about the specifics or the amount of the settlement. His new contract said he could "be dismissed if the company was made aware of other allegations or if additional relevant information was obtained in a company investigation," and that's why he was eventually let go.
"He got a $25 million payout? What did Bill O'Reilly do to Bill O'Reilly?" joked Colbert.
O'Reilly told NYT his eventual firing was "politically and financially motivated" and that he "never mistreated anyone."
