Bill O’Rilley has given a frank interview with the Today show in which he addressed the allegations of sexual harassment made against him. In the discussion with Matt Lauer the former Fox News host who was fired earlier this year said there was no legitimate reason for his termination.
O’Rilley said ‘They had a contractual clause that they could pay me a certain amount of money and not put me on air, and they exercised that clause.’ He claimed that the reason for them deciding to execute their right to end his contract was their fear of the leftist group Media Matters. He added that they ‘unsettled’ some people at the network.
A report by the New York Times before O’Rilley was sacked claimed that Fox had paid out more than $13 million in damages to five women who the host had sexually assaulted. He was quick to rebuff the claims saying that he has never had any complaints made against him. ‘In 42 years, alright, I’ve been in this business. I’ve worked for 12 companies. Not one time did I have any interaction with HR, any complaints filed against me.’
When questioned by Lauer about why he didn’t sue those who made the claims against him if they weren’t true he said that you ‘never win cases like that.’ He also blamed the media frenzy that would be sparked if he decided to sue. ‘I could do that, but the collateral damage of these lawsuits, the press frenzy—every allegation is a conviction. Every allegation in this area is a conviction. They don’t look for the truth.’