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| Fans Feel Robbed of Bill O’Reilly, but Stick With Fox | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Two days after Bill O’Reilly’s ouster from Fox News over sexual harassment accusations, Alyce Bradley sipped white wine at an outdoor mall in Alpharetta, Ga., and rued the loss of the network’s biggest star. She and her husband have watched Fox News for years — “It’s always on,” she said — and they enjoyed what they described as Mr. O’Reilly’s “biting commentary” and “different perspective.” | Two days after Bill O’Reilly’s ouster from Fox News over sexual harassment accusations, Alyce Bradley sipped white wine at an outdoor mall in Alpharetta, Ga., and rued the loss of the network’s biggest star. She and her husband have watched Fox News for years — “It’s always on,” she said — and they enjoyed what they described as Mr. O’Reilly’s “biting commentary” and “different perspective.” |
| “We will miss him very much,” Ms. Bradley, 61, said. | “We will miss him very much,” Ms. Bradley, 61, said. |
| And then, she delivered her verdict. “I think the left is just out to get him — they won,” she said. “He’s never been convicted, and I feel like he has been shut down.” | And then, she delivered her verdict. “I think the left is just out to get him — they won,” she said. “He’s never been convicted, and I feel like he has been shut down.” |
| Her husband was more circumspect. “I like him, but I don’t like what he did, all the sexual harassment,” Bill Bradley, 57, said. “He could be innocent,” he added, “but why did he resign or whatever?” | Her husband was more circumspect. “I like him, but I don’t like what he did, all the sexual harassment,” Bill Bradley, 57, said. “He could be innocent,” he added, “but why did he resign or whatever?” |
| In cities across the country — and even under the same roof — Mr. O’Reilly’s fans have had mixed reactions to his ouster amid revelations that he and the network had paid five women a total of about $13 million to settle accusations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior against him. | In cities across the country — and even under the same roof — Mr. O’Reilly’s fans have had mixed reactions to his ouster amid revelations that he and the network had paid five women a total of about $13 million to settle accusations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior against him. |
| Their views highlighted the inherent tension Mr. O’Reilly’s fate has prompted among his fans as they struggle to square their admiration for him with the troubling nature of the accusations. | Their views highlighted the inherent tension Mr. O’Reilly’s fate has prompted among his fans as they struggle to square their admiration for him with the troubling nature of the accusations. |
| Like Ms. Bradley, some supporters have remained loyal to Mr. O’Reilly and have dismissed the claims against him, which he has denied. Others, like her husband, were less willing to give Mr. O’Reilly the benefit of the doubt. | Like Ms. Bradley, some supporters have remained loyal to Mr. O’Reilly and have dismissed the claims against him, which he has denied. Others, like her husband, were less willing to give Mr. O’Reilly the benefit of the doubt. |
| Bill Wohead, of Mentone, Ind., who said he was in his early 60s, was skeptical of the accusations against Mr. O’Reilly. “You’re innocent until proven guilty,” he said. “Until you see some actual charges, I don’t believe it.” He called the accusations “a big smear campaign from the left” and said he and his family had no plans to abandon Fox News. | Bill Wohead, of Mentone, Ind., who said he was in his early 60s, was skeptical of the accusations against Mr. O’Reilly. “You’re innocent until proven guilty,” he said. “Until you see some actual charges, I don’t believe it.” He called the accusations “a big smear campaign from the left” and said he and his family had no plans to abandon Fox News. |
| Some fans were disappointed, even angry, that they had been robbed of their favorite television host. | Some fans were disappointed, even angry, that they had been robbed of their favorite television host. |
| “I was just sitting here thinking about who I could call to say he should be back on the air,” Toni Drugmand, 56, said, at a Starbucks in Phoenix on Tuesday morning. A copy of Mr. O’Reilly’s book “Killing Jesus” rested on the table in front of her. | “I was just sitting here thinking about who I could call to say he should be back on the air,” Toni Drugmand, 56, said, at a Starbucks in Phoenix on Tuesday morning. A copy of Mr. O’Reilly’s book “Killing Jesus” rested on the table in front of her. |
| And what did she think of the accusations against Mr. O’Reilly? | And what did she think of the accusations against Mr. O’Reilly? |
| “I think the man has a lot of money,” she said. “It’s easy to target anyone who has a lot of money.” | “I think the man has a lot of money,” she said. “It’s easy to target anyone who has a lot of money.” |
| “A lot of things are taken as sexual harassment that aren’t ever meant that way,” she added. | “A lot of things are taken as sexual harassment that aren’t ever meant that way,” she added. |
| Mandy Asmus, 75, a resident of Scottsdale, Ariz., was wary of the harassment accusations but did not reject them out of hand. “If someone is actually accused of it, and they actually did it, you know, that’s different from the way men might talk around the cooler,” she said. She added that, if the accusations were true, “then he shouldn’t be on TV.” | Mandy Asmus, 75, a resident of Scottsdale, Ariz., was wary of the harassment accusations but did not reject them out of hand. “If someone is actually accused of it, and they actually did it, you know, that’s different from the way men might talk around the cooler,” she said. She added that, if the accusations were true, “then he shouldn’t be on TV.” |
| Without Mr. O’Reilly for the first time in 20 years, Fox News reconfigured its prime-time lineup, moving Tucker Carlson from 9 p.m. to Mr. O’Reilly’s 8 p.m. slot. It also moved the ensemble show “The Five” from the afternoon to the 9 p.m. slot. | Without Mr. O’Reilly for the first time in 20 years, Fox News reconfigured its prime-time lineup, moving Tucker Carlson from 9 p.m. to Mr. O’Reilly’s 8 p.m. slot. It also moved the ensemble show “The Five” from the afternoon to the 9 p.m. slot. |
| While the network has long dominated the ratings, the loss of Mr. O’Reilly, its top-rated host, and the changes to its prime-time slate, have Fox News’s rivals sensing an opening to make up ground. | While the network has long dominated the ratings, the loss of Mr. O’Reilly, its top-rated host, and the changes to its prime-time slate, have Fox News’s rivals sensing an opening to make up ground. |
| But if there was one thing many O’Reilly viewers agreed on, it was this: Despite his departure, and the harassment accusations that led to it, they would still watch Fox News. | But if there was one thing many O’Reilly viewers agreed on, it was this: Despite his departure, and the harassment accusations that led to it, they would still watch Fox News. |
| “We like their news,” Ms. Asmus, from Scottsdale, said, citing the network’s proclaimed devotion to family values, patriotism and the Constitution. “We grew up in a different time.” | “We like their news,” Ms. Asmus, from Scottsdale, said, citing the network’s proclaimed devotion to family values, patriotism and the Constitution. “We grew up in a different time.” |
| Bijan Nakhjavan, 66, who lives in Miami and was visiting family in Georgia last week, said he thought of Mr. O’Reilly as a “phony guy” who twisted the truth. He said he had watched his show occasionally but considered it more entertainment than news. | Bijan Nakhjavan, 66, who lives in Miami and was visiting family in Georgia last week, said he thought of Mr. O’Reilly as a “phony guy” who twisted the truth. He said he had watched his show occasionally but considered it more entertainment than news. |
| Still, he said, he planned to watch the network’s new prime-time lineup. “Everybody deserves a shot,” he said. “I’m going to watch the new people and see what happens.” | Still, he said, he planned to watch the network’s new prime-time lineup. “Everybody deserves a shot,” he said. “I’m going to watch the new people and see what happens.” |
| Younger viewers also said they planned to stick with Fox News. | Younger viewers also said they planned to stick with Fox News. |
| “Honestly, I would probably watch it more,” Paul Johnson, 20, a student at Clemson University in South Carolina, said about the O’Reilly-absent 8 p.m. time slot. “Just because Tuck is so ridiculous sometimes that it’s fun to watch. It’s almost more entertaining than Bill O’Reilly, I think.’’ | “Honestly, I would probably watch it more,” Paul Johnson, 20, a student at Clemson University in South Carolina, said about the O’Reilly-absent 8 p.m. time slot. “Just because Tuck is so ridiculous sometimes that it’s fun to watch. It’s almost more entertaining than Bill O’Reilly, I think.’’ |
| During a meeting of the University of Notre Dame’s College Republicans on Monday night, Tucker Carlson’s show played on a screen in the corner. | During a meeting of the University of Notre Dame’s College Republicans on Monday night, Tucker Carlson’s show played on a screen in the corner. |
| “I won’t stop watching the network,” said Christina Herrera, 21, a student at St. Mary’s College in Indiana who was in attendance. | “I won’t stop watching the network,” said Christina Herrera, 21, a student at St. Mary’s College in Indiana who was in attendance. |
| But she admitted that the accusations against Mr. O’Reilly had been jarring. “I’m not over it yet,” she said. “It almost feels like a betrayal, especially as a woman.” | But she admitted that the accusations against Mr. O’Reilly had been jarring. “I’m not over it yet,” she said. “It almost feels like a betrayal, especially as a woman.” |
| Not everyone at the meeting, however, was as keen on Fox News. Eddie Damstra, 19, of Orland Park, Ill., said he wanted to “see how the accusations play out” before committing to the network. “It seems to be a cultural problem in Fox News,” he said. “If it is true, I’d be less inclined to watch.” | Not everyone at the meeting, however, was as keen on Fox News. Eddie Damstra, 19, of Orland Park, Ill., said he wanted to “see how the accusations play out” before committing to the network. “It seems to be a cultural problem in Fox News,” he said. “If it is true, I’d be less inclined to watch.” |
| Whether the time slot could reach the ratings heights to which “The O’Reilly Factor” had climbed remained to be seen. Mr. Carlson had a strong debut on Monday night, when 3.2 million people tuned in, though viewership settled at about 2.9 million on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. In 2017, Mr. O’Reilly’s show averaged 4.0 million viewers. | Whether the time slot could reach the ratings heights to which “The O’Reilly Factor” had climbed remained to be seen. Mr. Carlson had a strong debut on Monday night, when 3.2 million people tuned in, though viewership settled at about 2.9 million on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. In 2017, Mr. O’Reilly’s show averaged 4.0 million viewers. |
| Joe McDonough, 79, a Democrat in Boston and a former Marine, was one O’Reilly viewer who said he did not intend to fill his 8 p.m. hour with Mr. Carlson’s show. He had considered Mr. O’Reilly a hero, he said, and was unwilling to invest time and energy on another television personality — and on Fox News. | Joe McDonough, 79, a Democrat in Boston and a former Marine, was one O’Reilly viewer who said he did not intend to fill his 8 p.m. hour with Mr. Carlson’s show. He had considered Mr. O’Reilly a hero, he said, and was unwilling to invest time and energy on another television personality — and on Fox News. |
| “I’m almost 80,” he said, as he read a newspaper on a bench in Boston Common park on Monday afternoon. “I don’t need all that controversy anymore.” | “I’m almost 80,” he said, as he read a newspaper on a bench in Boston Common park on Monday afternoon. “I don’t need all that controversy anymore.” |