The announcement comes after revelations surfaced earlier this month that Bill O'Reilly had settled several sexual harassment claims. | Getty Bill O'Reilly out at Fox News

Bill O’Reilly, the star of Fox News’ prime-time lineup, is leaving the network after more than two decades, following revelations of sexual harassment claims that led advertisers to flee the show.

“After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel,” 21st Century Fox said in a statement Wednesday.


Revelations surfaced in The New York Times earlier this month that O’Reilly and Fox News had settled several harassment claims, leading to advertisers fleeing O’Reilly’s show and a sustained protest movement against him.

“This decision follows an extensive review done in collaboration with outside counsel,” Rupert, Lachlan and James Murdoch wrote in a note to staff. “By ratings standards, Bill O’Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news. In fact, his success by any measure is indisputable. Fox News has demonstrated again and again the strength of its talent bench. We have full confidence that the network will continue to be a powerhouse in cable news.

“Lastly, and most importantly, we want to underscore our consistent commitment to fostering a work environment built on the values of trust and respect.”

Tucker Carlson will take over O’Reilly's 8 p.m. slot, the network said.

Morning Media Your guide to the media circus — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

O’Reilly’s stunning downfall began with the Times investigation that found O’Reilly and Fox News had paid out a combined $13 million to women who claimed O’Reilly had harassed them. The report eventually prompted at least three new accusations of harassment by woman who had either worked with O’Reilly or had been regular guests on his show. One, by radio host Wendy Walsh, caused Fox to launch an investigation by Paul, Weiss, the same law firm that investigated allegations of sexual harassment against former Fox News chief Roger Ailes.

O’Reilly has vehemently denied the allegations against him.

"Over the past 20 years at Fox News, I have been extremely proud to launch and lead one of the most successful news programs in history, which has consistently informed and entertained millions of Americans and significantly contributed to building Fox into the dominant news network in television," O'Reilly said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

"It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims. But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today. I will always look back on my time at Fox with great pride in the unprecedented success we achieved and with my deepest gratitude to all my dedicated viewers. I wish only the best for Fox News Channel."

President Donald Trump had defended him, calling O’Reilly a “good person” who did nothing wrong in an interview with The New York Times earlier this month.

After the reports surfaced, a sustained public relations campaign emerged by liberal groups like Media Matters, Color of Change and UltraViolet, some of which held protests outside of Fox News headquarters, at one point flying planes over New York City with banners calling on the network to fire O'Reilly.

The biggest blow came when advertisers began to pull support from the show. At one point dozens of advertisers had pulled commercials, leading to extremely short commercial blocks on what normally is high-priced prime-time real estate.

In a memo sent to employees that was separate from the note sent with his sons, Fox owner Rupert Murdoch acknowledged the turmoil the O’Reilly drama has caused for the staff.

“I understand how difficult this has been for many of you,” Murdoch said. “Thank you for your hard work, patience, and for the great job you all do delivering news and opinion to millions of Americans whose trust you earn every day. I look forward to even more success in the coming years.”

As a result of O’Reilly’s departure, Fox has shuffled around its prime-time line up. Eric Bolling, a Fox anchor who regularly filled in for O’Reilly, will get his own show at 5 p.m. starting May 1. "Special Report with Bret Baier" will stay at 6 p.m., while Martha MacCallum, who had been hosting a temporary show on Trump’s first 100 days, will transition to a permanent show called “The Story with Martha MacCallum."

Carlson, who has had a rapid ascension after taking over both the 7 p.m. hour following Greta Van Susteren’s departure and the 9 p.m. hour following Megyn Kelly’s exit, will take O’Reilly's 8 p.m. slot. “The Five,” the popular panel show, will move to 9 p.m., with a new co-host, Jesse Watters, joining Kimberly Guilfoyle, Dana Perino, Bob Beckel, Greg Gutfeld and Juan Williams. Sean Hannity rounds out the schedule with his 10 p.m. slot, which he will keep.

Kelsey Sutton and Joe Pompeo contributed to this report.