Bill O'Reilly's Show Loses Cascade Of Advertisers Over Revelations Of Sexual Harassment Settlements

At least 20 companies have pulled ads from "The O'Reilly Factor" after revelations that either Fox News or the show's host Bill O'Reilly made settlements totaling about $13 million with five women who have accused O'Reilly of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.

The revelations came to light in a New York Times investigative report published on Saturday. The investigation found that two of the settlements came after Roger Ailes, the former chairman of the network, resigned in the fallout of a sexual harassment scandal. That scandal came to light when former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson accused Ailes of sexual harassment. After Carlson's accusations, several other women came forward accusing Ailes of similar behavior.

Mercedes-Benz was the first company to announce it was pulling ads from the 'The O'Reilly Factor." In a statement, the company said "the allegations are disturbing and, given the importance of women in every aspect of our business, we don't feel this is a good environment in which to advertise our products right now." By late Tuesday, the number of companies that had pulled ads from the show had risen to 20, according to CNN Money, which has been tracking companies that are dropping ads from O'Reilly's show.

Hyundai said it was not currently running ads on the show but would pull any upcoming ads.

BMW of North America cited the Times investigation as the reason why it would no longer be running ads on the show.

"In light of the recent New York Times investigation, BMW of North America has suspended its advertising with “The O’Reilly Factor,”’ a BMW of North America spokesman told Patch via email.

Constant Contact, another advertiser, cited its commitment to inclusion, respect and tolerance as the reason it would be pulling ads from the show.

“Based on the recent allegations and our strong commitment to inclusion, respect and tolerance in the workplace, we have decided to pull Constant Contacts ads from The O’Reilly Factor,” a spokesman told Patch in an emailed statement.

Emily Steel, one of the Times journalists who broke the story, reported that Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi and Allstate had also pulled ads from the show, bringing the total number of advertisers pulling ads to eight.

“Inclusivity and support for women are important Allstate values.We are concerned about the issues surrounding the program and we have suspended our advertising," an Allstate spokesman said in an emailed statement to Patch.

A spokeswoman for Sanofi said that as of Tuesday, the company had removed advertising from the show.

"At Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, decisions about advertising on any given website, network, magazine, or programs are never undertaken as an endorsement or non-endorsement of the host, editorial or entertainment content. Rather, our purpose in advertising our product is to provide important information to consumers so that they may make an informed decision about which product will best provide relief for their symptoms," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

"The controversy around The O’Reilly Factor program and allegations made against Bill O’Reilly are matters that we take seriously and will continue to monitor. We do not endorse the behavior or opinions of program hosts or the content. We have reallocated our current advertising originally scheduled during this program. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation as we plan future advertising decisions."

By late afternoon, two more companies, T. Rowe Price and UNTUCKit, had also announced they were pulling ads from the show, CNN Money first reported.

"We regularly evaluate our media buys to ensure alignment with our corporate values, and in light of the recent allegations we have decided to pull our upcoming ads from The O'Reilly Factor," a spokesman for T. Rowe Price said in a statement.

Mitsubishi Motors, Lexus, Bayer, Orkin, Esurance (which is owned by Allstate), Credit Karma, Wayfair, The Wonderful Company, TrueCar and the Society for Human Resource Management, were the latest companies to announce that they were pulling ads, according to CNN Money.

Original Story Below:

WOODLAND HILLS, LA — Psychologist/radio host Wendy Walsh and her Southland attorney called Monday for an independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly, with Walsh contending her rejection of a romantic advance by O'Reilly cost her a chance for a job at the network.

The development follows a recent New York Times report that the network or O'Reilly have paid $13 million to five women over the past 15 years to settle allegations of misconduct by the well-known television host.

Walsh had been a regular commentator on "The O'Reilly Factor," and she said O'Reilly took her to dinner in 2013 at the Hotel Bel-Air, where the host told her the network wanted to make her a paid contributor. After dinner, however, O'Reilly invited her to his hotel room, but she declined, and he immediately became defensive and made remarks critical of her, she said.

After that, her treatment by O'Reilly changed dramatically, she said. According to Walsh, their "small-talk off-air stopped abruptly." She said she continued to reach out to O'Reilly with book ideas and other story suggestions.

"But I could feel him getting colder and more distant," Walsh said at the Woodland Hills office of her attorney, Lisa Bloom.

She said she later appeared live on his set because she was in New York on a book tour, and before the taping began, O'Reilly looked up from his script and said, "When are you leaving?" Shortly after, she was contacted by the show's executive producer and told they would be taking a break from the segment on which she regularly appeared, but when it resumed, she was never invited back.

"I knew it was coming," she said. "I just expected that he would get over it, that he would behave like a professional."

She said she never filed a sexual harassment claim because "I didn't know that you can be sexually harassed if you're a job applicant. I thought you had to be an employee."

She also said that at the time her daughter was about to submit applications to colleges, and she didn't want to become embroiled in a potentially public dispute with a high-profile figure.

Walsh said she is not suing O'Reilly or seeking any money, just "honesty."

There's been no comment from Fox News on Walsh's allegations, but in response to the New York Times inquiries regarding settlements paid to various women, 21st Century Fox issued a statement to the paper saying the network "takes matters of workplace behavior very seriously."

"Notwithstanding the fact that no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about Bill O'Reilly, even anonymously, we have looked into these matters over the last few months and discussed them with Mr. O'Reilly," the statement read. "While he denies the merits of these claims, Mr. O'Reilly has resolved those he regarded as his personal responsibility. Mr. O'Reilly is fully committed to supporting our efforts to improve the environment for all our employees at Fox News."

O'Reilly himself issued a statement to the paper saying, "Just like other prominent and controversial people, I'm vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity. In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, even on the anonymous hotline. But most importantly, I'm a father who cares deeply for my children and who would do anything to avoid hurting them in any way. And so I have put to rest any controversies to spare my children."

City News Service; Photo: (Anthony McCartney, left, and Richard Drew/Associated Press)