(Photo by Justin Hoch for Hudson Union Society)

Amidst sexual harassment claims, conservative icon and television host Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to Fox News.

First Roger Ailes, now Bill O’Reilly. The purge at Fox continues.

It’s crazy to think there will be no more Bill O’Reilly on TV anymore. O’Reilly was a ratings giant and was practically the face of Fox News.

His program, The O’Reilly Factor, was a very traditional show. And even though I barely watch cable anymore and I’m a alternative media connoisseur, there was something special about The O’Reilly Factor.

O’Reilly was certainly the best on Fox, numbers don’t lie. And Fox was by far the best of all mainstream news media.

If you wanted serious in-depth hard-hitting analysis, then O’Reilly wouldn’t have been for you. If you wanted to sit back on your recliner with a beer after a long days work, O’Reilly was your man.

The show was always simple and straight to the point, that’s who O’Reilly is. Look no further than his profound, complex and thought-provoking statement on why God exists:

The tides go in, the tides go out. Never a miscommunication. You can’t explain that.

Jesse Watters would often appear interviewing mindless liberal zombies, which would result in the audience either laughing at them or scratching their head in confusion and giving up on humanity.

And who could ever forget his we’ll do it live meltdown?

You can say a lot about Bill O’Reilly, but you can’t say the man didn’t have a personality made for good television.

So What Exactly Led to This?

This was not an overnight decision. This was pressure from advertisers, employees and viewers that led to this fate of events.

The purge began last July, when commentator Gretchen Carlson sued the Murdoch-controlled 21st Century Fox and Roger Ailes (then-head of Fox News Channel) for sexual harassment.

Eager to end the controversy, the Murdoch’s settled for $20 million, in order to end the dispute and calm the storm.

However, the precedent had already been set, and it began to seem as though every women at Fox had been wronged somehow, as they all became eager to speak up.

Most infamous was Megyn Kelly, who I actually believed, but never cared for.

The accusations of sexual harassment from Roger Ailes mounted, leading him to be let go by the Murdochs.

Once Ailes was ousted, O’Reilly was next on the chopping block. Women who felt sexually harassed by the television giant came forth, to the point where it became a serious issue.

So, Bill O’Reilly went on vacation hoping the situation would die down, which is actually a pretty smart move. However, he ultimately played the wrong hand, as his absence left open the door wide open to kick him out.

On Wednesday, speculation finally came to an end, Bill O’Reilly, star and ratings-machine of Fox News, had been let go.

In a letter to Fox employees, the Murdoch’s admitted O’Reilly’s success at Fox News was “indisputable,” and that the network was committed to “fostering a work environment based on the values of trust and respect.”

O’Reilly continued to deny allegations in his statement regarding his split with Fox:

“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.”

Either accusation after accusation is grossly misconstrued and exaggerated (highly unlikely), or Fox News has a serious issue on their hands regarding sexual harassment in their work environment.

Sad News for Fox News

Looking back, I’ll genuinely miss Bill O’Reilly.

And the fact that O’Reilly doesn’t even get a farewell show makes it sting more. I can’t imagine how his daily viewers feel now.

Love him or hate him, you simply can’t deny the man had the best ratings and was highly successful and influential in the world of cable news.

Old-timer conservative Republicans look up to O’Reilly almost as much as they do Ronald Reagan. That’s saying something.

Many, including myself are left asking: what is Fox News without Bill O’Reilly?

I like Sean Hannity, even though all he does is kiss ass. And I also like Tucker Carlson, a more modern commentator for the times.

But other than them, I see no star talent. Sure Fox contributers are better than the hacks of CNN of MSNBC, but that’s not saying much, those outlets are jokes.

But then again this perspective is coming from a guy that barely watches cable anymore, so what do I know? I’m sure Carlson will do jut fine in O’Reilly’s spot.

But this all begs the question, can Fox News afford to take a loss like this? Only time will tell.

One thing is certain though: Bill O’Reilly won’t be forgotten anytime soon.