Host Bill O’Reilly appears on “The O’Reilly Factor”(Getty)
For the first time since he was fired, former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly spoke out in an interview.
He took part in a podcast with Glenn Beck on Friday on The Glenn Beck Program and offered some insight into how his termination went down.
O’Reilly didn’t reveal exactly how or why he was told he was fired, but said that his attorneys informed him. He said that when they received the news, “we were all shocked.”
He also weighed in on a number of current events, including the firing of James Comey by President Donald Trump and the current state of journalism.
“This is a fact,” O’Reilly said. “In American journalism right now, very few are seeking the truth. It’s not what the press is doing.”
On Comey’s termination, he said the president just didn’t trust him enough. He listed three reasons as to why he thought Trump decided to give him the ax as FBI director, and those were his failure to investigate leaks, his unpredictability and the Russia investigation.
O’Reilly lists 3 reasons to @glennbeck on why he thinks Comey was fired:
– Unpredictable
– Not investigating leaks
– Russia investigation
To listen to the full interview with Beck, hit play on the audio below.
The longtime TV host said that his termination “was a hit and in the weeks to come we are going to be able to explain some of it.” He added that there’s there’s plans to have an “exposition” on his firing shortly, saying that “this crew goes in and terrorizes sponsors … that pays people to say things. We are going to name them.”
O’Reilly was forced out at Fox News on April 19 after past sexual harassment allegations were disclosed. An internal investigation reportedly turned up even more, and sponsors continued to drop from his show on the network, The O’Reilly Factor.
The pressure to make a decision on O’Reilly came after a bombshell report by the New York Times. The publication revealed how Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, and O’Reilly had reached $13 million worth of settlements with five women who accused him of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior.
Following the report, over 50 advertisers pulled spots on his show and protests from women’s rights groups called for him to be fired.
Eventually, Rupert Murdoch and his sons James and Lachlan caved into outside pressure. They made the decision to terminate O’Reilly after a review of the investigation’s findings.