Over the last week, one of the biggest stories in the news that didn't originate about Donald Trump was in regards to Bill O'Reilly and the allegations that he sexually harassed at least five women over the last decade. As expected, the Fox News host has denied the claim, and went as far as to have his legal team threaten anyone who pushed the issue further.
Scandal-filled week
It was just last weekend when the New York Times released their report that found Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and the network reached a settlement with at least five men to keep quiet about allegations of Sexual Harassment.
The settlement was reportedly in the range of around $13 million, with the earliest allegation dating back to around 2004. In the aftermath, close to 50 sponsors have pulled their ads from airing during "The O'Reilly Factor," as the pressure continues to mount on the network to make a move. Fox News is still reeling from their previous sexual assault scandal involving Roger Ailes, the network's founder and former CEO. Ailes was forced to step down in 2016 as Fox News has done their best to move on from the image-damaging news. Once the O'Reilly story broke, cable news pounced on the chance to report the news, with the more left-leaning MSNBC being first in line to expose their Fox News rival.
Following up on an earlier tweet from this week, MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell stopped by the set of "A.M. Joy" on April 9 to elaborate further on his issue with O'Reilly.
.@Lawrence: "Go ahead. Come and sue me Bill O'Reilly. I dare you." https://t.co/ureIPCNW9B https://t.co/J5JjbZIzv8
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 9, 2017
Joining fellow MSNBC host Joy Reid on Sunday morning's "A.M.
Joy" was Lawrence O'Donnell and he didn't hold back when it came to pulling back the curtain on Bill O'Reilly and the sexual harassment allegations against him. While running through the bullet points of the scandal, O'Donnell mocked the Fox News host for trying to brush off the claims by saying they "happen to everyone." "Fox News is a cesspool of sexual harassment and abuse of women as they have uncovered in their own investigation," O'Donnell said, before bringing up the fact that top Fox News talent like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Steve Doocy, and other male hosts that have never been sued for the issue at hand, unlike the host of "The Factor."
Hey @OReillyFactor please sue me too because I believe Wendy Walsh. Retweet if you agree. https://t.co/XstM4serHd
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) April 5, 2017
Lawrence O'Donnell then brought up the issue of Wendy Walsh, a former Fox News employee who has spoken out against Bill O'Reilly, but never sued the host and entered a non-disclosure agreement.
Because Walsh is not legally bound to keep quiet on the issue, O'Reilly's legal team has threatened to sue her for alleged defamation. In response, O'Donnell came to Walsh's defense, and dared O'Reilly to sue him for covering the story.
Grudge match
"Hey @OReillyFactor please sue me too because I believe Wendy Walsh," Lawrence O'Donnell tweeted out earlier this week, which he doubled down on during the broadcast. "I believe Bill O'Reilly sexual harassed Wendy Walsh. I believe Bill O'Reilly is a sexual assaulter," he said, before adding, "I dare you." As of press time, neither Fox News nor the legal team of O'Reilly have issued a response.