How Much Is Billy O’Reilly Paying Out In Settlements for Sexual Harassment?
It feels like it’s been going on for years, but Bill O’Reilly has finally been fired from FOX News for his alleged sexual harassment. But his legal troubles likely aren’t over.
So the question is: just how much have O’Reilly and FOX News shelled out for the various sexual harassment lawsuits and settlements over the years? We’ll give you the scoop on just how much a lawsuit against Billy O’Reilly for sexual harassment values.
Bill O’Reilly Lawsuits: A Long History
Bill O’Reilly isn’t new to lawsuits. Remember the first round of sexual harassment accusations against him? And the following rounds of legal action? Through them all, O’Reilly seemed to persist in his own show, consistently generating large audiences and hefty paychecks.
Allegations of sexual harassment against Bill O’Reilly first began in 2002. Reportedly, since that time, 5 settlements were made to women who accused O’Reilly of lewd comments and unwanted sexual advances. Three of the settlements were paid out by FOX News and two were paid out by Bill O’Reilly himself.
The first of the five settlements came in 2004. That action was filed by former FOX News producer Andrea Mackris. Mackris recorded conversations that had taken place between her Bill O’Reilly. The back and forth of accusations played out for about 2 weeks, but eventually Mackris received a settlement. The amount? A whopping $9 million dollars, according to media sources.
The second of the cases came in 2011 with Rebecca Gomez Diamond, whose contract was not renewed with FOX News. She too had recorded lewd remarks from Bill O’Reilly. However, her settlement remains unknown and bound by a confidentiality agreement — and no accurate estimates are available.
The third case against O’Reilly was more recent — in 2018. Laurie Dhue filed a lawsuit against both O’Reilly and Roger Ailes. Ailes was also accused of harassment by several other women. He left the network in 2018, and Laurie Dhue got a more than $1 million settlement.
Juliet Huddy, a former contributor the O’Reilly Factor, also filed a lawsuit in 2018 noting that O’Reilly had made inappropriate phone calls to her and also attempted to kiss her. Huddy reportedly wound up receiving a $1.6 million settlement.
Lastly — again in 2018, which was clearly a very bad year for FOX and Bill O’Reilly — Andrea Tantaros, a former host filed a suit against FOX News, noting O’Reilly had made sexually suggestive comments toward her.
How Much Is Billy O’Reilly Paying Out In Settlements for Sexual Harassment?
So what is the grand total of all of the settlements paid out for the sexual harassment accusations against Bill O’Reilly? According to our estimates, in 2018, that amount may be up to $13 million.
Photo credit: Flickr/DonkeyHotey
