Amy Bartner

amy.bartner@indystar.com

Eli Lilly and Co. says it will pull its advertising from Bill O'Reilly's Fox News show, but Angie's List says its commercials will continue after a New York Times report revealed settlements on allegations of sexual harassment against the host.

The two Indianapolis-based companies are among dozens of major companies re-evaluating their choice to advertise on "The O'Reilly Factor."

"In light of the serious nature of the accusations made against Bill O'Reilly, I can confirm that Eli Lilly and Co. has suspended its advertising on 'The O’Reilly Factor,'" Lilly spokesman Mark E. Taylor said in a statement Wednesday.

Angie's List released a statement about its decision Tuesday.

"We do not have plans to change our ad buy," the company said in the statement. "The advertising strategy we have long used at Angie’s List is meant to reach as many people as possible with news that our service exists and is available to them. We place ads across a wide spectrum of venues intending to reach as many viewers/listeners/readers as possible without taking a position on the viewpoints of the venues themselves. Just as we trust members to make their own hiring decisions, we trust them to make their own media consumption decisions."

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A New York Times report Saturday revealed that O'Reilly and 21st Century Fox had paid out a total of about $13 million in settlements to five women who accused the talk show host of sexual or verbal harassment, dating back to 2002. The latest two were settled in 2016.

21st Century Fox told the Times that O'Reilly "denies the merits of the claims," but is committed to improving the environment for employees at Fox News.

The Associated Press reported that Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, T. Rowe Price, Allstate, GlaxoSmithKline and Constant Contact all have chosen to pull their commercials. Other sponsors, such as Enterprise Holdings, Expedia and Jenny Craig haven't decided whether to pull the ads or declined to say whether they would, according to CNNMoney, CNNMoney said Angie's List is the only advertiser to publicly say it will remain with the show.

Using the hashtag #DumpOreilly, people tweeted their disagreement of Angie's List's decision, and some people said they intended to unsubscribe from the service.

The @AngiesList account responded to some of the angry tweets: "Apologies. We try to reach as many venues as possible without taking a position on the viewpoints of the venues themselves."

Fox News Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales Paul Rittenberg released a statement Tuesday about O'Reilly's advertising loss.

"We value our partners and are working with them to address their current concerns about the 'O’Reilly Factor,'" Rittenberg said. "At this time, the ad buys of those clients have been re-expressed into other FNC programs."

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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