"In fact, his success by any measure is indisputable".
Even if it should retain O'Reilly, the controversy surrounding him adds to what has been a tumultuous year for Fox News.
Now, however, they have brought down the top-rated conservative talk show on cable news. "Lastly, and most importantly, we want to underscore our consistent commitment to fostering a work environment built on values of trust and respect".
O'Reilly's legal team said in a statement Tuesday: "Bill O'Reilly has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America". The news broke last night when The Wall Street Journal, a newspaper owned by Rupert Murdock, was reporting that 21 Century Fox was indeed in conversations about how best to start an exit strategy for the star.
"I understand how hard this has been for many of you", Rupert Murdoch said in a memo to Fox staff.
The woman, who has remained anonymous, made a formal complaint to a Fox News hotline set up to field harassment allegations, according to her attorney, Lisa Bloom. On Tuesday, an African-American woman came forward, claiming O'Reilly made grunting noises at her and called her "hot chocolate".
"That evidence will be put forth shortly and it is irrefutable", he concluded. The channel said it was focusing on presenting its 2018 programming to advertisers and wasn't making decisions beyond that for now. Others followed suit and within two days, 23 advertisers including brands like BMW (BMWYY), AllState Corp.
VP Pence says to North Korea: 'The sword stands ready'
Soon after Trump took office, he pulled the USA out of the TPP - which needed all the signatory nations to ratify the deal. Pence arrived in Japan for talks Tuesday expected to focus largely on trade with America's anchor ally in the region.
The report of the latest claim prompted a statement from Marc E. Kasowitz, an attorney for O'Reilly, who said his client is being targeted by liberal groups who are out to "destroy" him.
O'Reilly said it was "tremendously disheartening" to leave over "completely unfounded claims".
The Fox News anchor has been on an extended vacation since recent allegations came out at the beginning of April, causing speculation that he'll return to his show at all. Mr Ailes has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In the end, it seems like the departure of advertisers, potentially even more so than the disgusting nature of the allegations themselves, is one of the reasons why O'Reilly's tenure is coming to a close. His show's viewership declined by 23 percent in the hands of substitutes Dana Perino, Eric Bolling and Greg Gutfeld.
He is the second Fox News employee to step down because of sexual harassment allegations in the past year, following CEO Roger Ailes' departure last July (Ailes denied the allegations).
"Mission accomplished", said Keith Olbermann, who frequently tweaked O'Reilly on an MSNBC show that competed in the same time slot for several years. O'Reilly joined the network at its inception in 1996. He's also authored more than two dozen books.
Former anchor Gretchen Carlson filed suit against Ailes, saying she was sacked her after she rebuffed his sexual advances. He, too, was accused by a large number of women of sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as the leveraging of career advancement with sexual favors.
Gretchen Carlson eventually reached a settlement with the network. Fox has not commented on Wednesday's reports. Carlson, a veteran pundit who has hosted shows on CNN, MSNBC and PBS, had taken over for Megyn Kelly in January when she announced she was moving to NBC News.
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