Bill O'Reilly is back in the spotlight again with sexual harassment allegations leveled against him.
O'Reilly has faced a flurry of backlash after it was reported that Fox News quietly settled numerous sexual harassment claims on his behalf. In another situation O'Reilly has been accused of having leered at an African-American clerical worker at Fox News and calling her "hot chocolate," according to attorney Lisa Bloom who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter.
According to reports, O'Reilly's office was close to the woman's desk, despite her having worked for a separate broadcaster at the time that the incident occurred in 2008.
"He would never talk to her, not even hello, except to grunt at her like a wild boar," Bloom said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "He would leer at her. He would always do this when no one else was around and she was scared."
Three witnesses who knew the woman confirmed her distress to Bloom.
"She was afraid if she told him to knock it off she’d get fired," Bloom said. "Now that’s she's aware this is all in the news, she’s decided to phone in a complaint to the Fox News hotline."
The famed attorney announced she was representing the woman accusing O'Reilly via Twitter on Tuesday.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote of Bloom:
She's also representing radio personality Wendy Walsh, who says she was forced out of the network after refusing O'Reilly's advances.
Soon another woman is also expected to report harassment by the anchor, according to Bloom.
Earlier this month, the attorney sent a letter to the New York State Division of Human Rights asking it to intervene at Fox News and calling the network a "cesspool of sexual harassment, intimidation and retaliation."
While a recently released survey found that only 17 percent of Fox News viewers said they believe O'Reilly's show should be canceled, Fox News executives are very alarmed by a drop in ad revenue, according to reports. Protesters gathered outside the network's headquarters in Manhattan on Tuesday to demand that Fox News fire its star anchor O'Reilly.
Yet President Trump defended O'Reilly earlier this month, calling him "a good person."
What a great reminder that the month of April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
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