Bill O'Reilly's 21-year career at Fox News has come to a sudden and ignoble end.

"The O'Reilly Factor" has been canceled amid a cloud of harassment allegations against the conservative broadcaster.

Rupert Murdoch and his sons James and Lachlan, who run 21st Century Fox, made the announcement Wednesday afternoon.

"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," Fox said.

In a statement of his own released later Wednesday afternoon, O'Reilly said, "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."

It is unclear if Fox News is paying O'Reilly. The host is presumably owed tens of millions of dollars under the terms of his multi-year contract, though the contract may have contained clauses allowing Fox News to get out of the deal.

It is also unknown if O'Reilly is subject to a so-called "non-compete" clause limiting his ability to appear on other networks.

Related story: What will Bill O'Reilly do now?

O'Reilly's ouster shocked the television news industry, including Fox's own employees. While the broadcaster was not well-liked inside the network, he was viewed as invincible.

Wednesday's outcome "is stunning because Bill O'Reilly WAS Fox News," former Fox contributor Kirsten Powers said on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."

Powers, who moved to CNN last summer, said "it was sort of unthinkable that he would ever leave there, except on his own terms."

What changed? An investigation by The New York Times. After founding Fox News CEO Roger Ailes resigned under a cloud of sexual harassment allegations last summer, the Times looked into allegations in O'Reilly's past.

It found that O'Reilly and Fox had reached settlements totaling $13 million with five women who had accused O'Reilly of sexual harassment or verbal abuse, only some of which had previously been reported publicly.

The Times published its reporting on April 1. Within days, there was an advertiser exodus -- dozens of sponsors told Fox to remove their ads from "The O'Reilly Factor."

There was also a crucial phone call from an O'Reilly accuser to Fox. On April 5, Wendy Walsh called Fox's hotline and described what she said was harassment and retaliatory behavior by O'Reilly back in 2013.

This was significant because O'Reilly and Fox had said that none of the women accusing O'Reilly of improprieties had ever contacted human resources or called the hotline.

Walsh and her attorney Lisa Bloom publicized the phone call. The Murdochs responded to the call by asking the law firm Paul, Weiss to conduct an investigation.

The results of the internal probe were not shared publicly. But it apparently influenced the Murdochs' decision.

In a letter to employees on Wednesday, Rupert Murdoch said O'Reilly's exit followed "an extensive review done in collaboration with outside counsel."

The involvement of Paul, Weiss was instrumental in Ailes' eventual resignation.

In the letter, Murdoch praised O'Reilly as "one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news" before saying "we want to underscore our consistent commitment to fostering a work environment built on the values of trust and respect."

The letter concluded with an apparent nod to morale problems within Fox News recently.

"I understand how difficult this has been for many of you," Murdoch wrote. "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."

Related: O'Reilly exit marks end of a Rupert Murdoch era, Brian Lowry says

Minutes after O'Reilly's departure was confirmed, Fox tried to turn the page by announcing a new, O'Reilly-less lineup, which will take effect on Monday, the day O'Reilly had been scheduled to return from vacation.

Tucker Carlson will move from 9 p.m. to take over O'Reilly's 8 p.m. slot, while the five-person talk show "The Five" will move to 9 p.m. with new co-host Jesse Watters.

Eric Bolling, who had been a co-host of "The Five," is taking over the 5 p.m. hour, though his new show will not debut until May 1.

On Wednesday night Dana Perino hosted the 8 p.m. hour on Fox, which was stripped of all O'Reilly branding. The show was simply titled "The Factor." Perino addressed O'Reilly's departure at the start and end of the show, but did not mention the reasons behind it.

In contrast to Fox News, Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan that has published O'Reilly's litany of best-selling books, said it was standing by him on Wednesday.

"Our plans have not changed," a spokeswoman said.

Liberal groups which had long opposed O'Reilly, and had been pushing advertisers to join the boycott, celebrated the news Wednesday.

"Advertisers fled because they immediately recognized what Fox News has ignored for over a decade: that serial sexual harassment is not only wrong, but bad for business. Without advertisers, Bill O'Reilly's show was no longer commercially viable. Fox News had no choice but to fire O'Reilly. Accountability came from the outside, not from within," Media Matters for America president Angelo Carusone said in a statement.

-- CNNMoney's Tom Kludt contributed reporting.</s>Image copyright Getty Images Image caption More than 50 sponsors have withdrawn ads from Mr O'Reilly's show

Presenter Bill O'Reilly has been dropped from Fox News over sexual harassment claims, the company says.

"After a thorough and careful review of the allegations... Bill O'Reilly will not be returning," the network said in a one-sentence statement.

He has been on holiday since 12 April, and was seen shaking hands with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday.

O'Reilly said it was "tremendously disheartening" to leave over "completely unfounded claims".

More than 50 sponsors have withdrawn ads from his show, The O'Reilly Factor.

Pressure on Fox has mounted since recent reports that five women had received $13m (£10m) in payouts because of O'Reilly's behaviour.

The prime-time presenter, who has been with the US network almost since its inception, has denied all of the allegations.

"It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims," he said in a statement released after his dismissal.

"But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today."

Fox broadcaster Tucker Carlson will be taking over Mr O'Reilly's slot, the company said in a follow-up statement.

Trump defends Fox host amid sex claims

Image copyright Reuters Image caption A Vatican photographer captured O'Reilly meeting the Pope after his public address on Wednesday

In an internal memo sent to 21st Century Fox employees, the company wrote that the decision had been made after "extensive review done in collaboration with outside counsel".

The letter - signed by Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James - praised Mr O'Reilly as "one of the the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news".

It added that the network was committed to "fostering a work environment built on the values of trust and respect".

Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

The sexual harassment charges against Bill O'Reilly aren't new. They've bubbled up before and have been quietly ushered from view, thanks to multimillion-dollar legal settlements.

Now, however, they have brought down the top-rated conservative talk show on cable news.

So what changed? Was it lurid details of his alleged behaviour? The protests? Commercial sponsors abandoning his show? The impact the scandal could have on 21st Century Fox's attempts to purchase European broadcaster Sky?

All probably contributed to O'Reilly's exit. The crack in the proverbial dam, however, came when Fox News head Roger Ailes was sacked for his own sexual harassment scandal.

If Mr Ailes, who built the conservative television empire, could be laid low by his tawdry behaviour, no one was untouchable - even Mr O'Reilly.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Ailes was sacked over a harassment lawsuit filed by anchor Gretchen Carlson (L)

Welcome to Fox News in the Donald Trump era. Mr Ailes is out. Mr O'Reilly is gone.

Presenter Megyn Kelly has bolted to NBC. The only giant left standing is Trump super-fan Sean Hannity.

A network that defined itself by blanket opposition to Barack Obama now appears adrift, challenged by more aggressive conservative media outlets and toxic to the left.

It's a tricky position to occupy - a victim of its own success… and hubris.

The O'Reilly Factor drew nearly four million viewers per night.

The most recent allegation came on Tuesday evening when lawyer for a former African-American clerical worker at Fox alleged her client had been harassed by Mr O'Reilly in 2008.

Lawyer Lisa Bloom said the Fox News host had referred to the unidentified woman as "hot chocolate".

"He would leer at her," said Ms Bloom. "He would always do this when no-one else was around, and she was scared."

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Protesters have been rallying outside the Fox offices in New York for weeks

Media-watchers say the allegations had become too much of a liability for 21st Century Fox.

A concern for the Murdoch family is their pending $14bn (£11bn) deal to buy out satellite provider Sky, which is being scrutinised by British regulators.

Earlier this month authorities with the European Commission cleared 21st Century Fox to acquire the remaining 61% of Sky that it does not yet own.

Sources at the company tell US media that Rupert Murdoch was in favour of keeping Mr O'Reilly in his post.

But James Murdoch, chief executive officer of 21st Century Fox, reportedly argued that Mr O'Reilly should go.

The company reputation has taken a hit after sexual harassment allegations were also levelled at Roger Ailes, the former head of Fox News.

Mr Ailes resigned in 2016 after being sued by a former Fox News presenter, Gretchen Carlson.</s>Fox News announced the departure of Bill O'Reilly in the wake of a sexual-harassment scandal, bringing an end to the popular host's two-decade run at the TV network.

The decision to cut ties with Mr. O'Reilly, a staple of the Fox News Channel since its launch in 1996, is a sea change for both the network and its parent company 21st Century Fox.

Mr. O'Reilly is being swept out of Fox News after revelations that he and the company paid settlements to women who accused him of sexual harassment and verbal abuse. the New York Times report detailing the $13 million paid to five women who worked at or appeared on his show led dozens of advertisers to boycott his program and brought a slew of negative attention to the company.

"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. The company offered no further comment.

Mr. O'Reilly has denied any wrongdoing, saying he paid settlements to "put to rest any controversies to spare my children."

Fox News announced the departure of Bill O'Reilly in the wake of a sexual-harassment scandal, bringing an end to the popular host's two-decade run at the TV network.

The decision to cut ties with Mr. O'Reilly, a staple of the Fox News Channel since its launch in 1996, is a sea change for both the network and its parent company 21st Century Fox.

Mr. O'Reilly is being swept out of Fox News after revelations that he and the company paid settlements to women who accused him of sexual harassment and verbal abuse. the New York Times report detailing the $13 million paid to five women who worked at or appeared on his show led dozens of advertisers to boycott his program and brought a slew of negative attention to the company.

"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. The company offered no further comment.

Mr. O'Reilly has denied any wrongdoing, saying he paid settlements to "put to rest any controversies to spare my children."

21st Century Fox and News Corp, parent company of The Wall Street Journal, share common ownership.</s>O’Reilly previously posted a statement to his website after the New York Times reported that O’Reilly or 21st Century Fox have paid $13 million to five women since 2002 over these complaints “in exchange for agreeing to not pursue litigation or speak about their accusations against him.”

21st Century Fox is still dealing with the legal fallout from sexual harassment charges against former Fox News head Roger Ailes.

STORIES THAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON</s>NEW YORK — Bill O’Reilly is done at Fox News, its parent company 21st Century Fox said Wednesday.

“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,” the company said in a statement.

O’Reilly was notified Wednesday that his run at Fox News would be coming to an end, according to a source with knowledge of the proceedings.

This is a turn of events that was unthinkable even three weeks ago, and it is unknown how O’Reilly will respond to Fox’s decision. His representatives have not yet commented.

In a letter to employees, Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James, who run 21st Century Fox, said the decision “follows an extensive review done in collaboration with outside counsel.”

“By ratings standards, Bill O’Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news,” the three wrote. “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.”

Almost immediately after the announcement of O’Reilly’s departure, Fox released its new, O’Reilly-less lineup, which will start Monday, the day O’Reilly had been scheduled to return from vacation.

Tucker Carlson will be moving from 9 p.m. to take over O’Reilly’s 8 p.m. slot, while “The Five” will move to 9 p.m. with new co-host Jesse Watters. Eric Bolling, who had been a co-host of “The Five,” is taking the 5 p.m. hour by himself, though his new show will not debut until May 1.

O’Reilly’s departure was precipitated by a New York Times story earlier this month which reported that O’Reilly, Fox and 21st Century Fox had reached settlements totaling $13 million with five women who had accused O’Reilly of sexual harassment or verbal abuse. In the wake of the Times’ report, at least 60 advertisers told Fox to remove their commercials from “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Liberal groups which had long opposed O’Reilly, and had been pushing advertisers to join the boycott, celebrated the news Wednesday.

“Advertisers fled because they immediately recognized what Fox News has ignored for over a decade: that serial sexual harassment is not only wrong, but bad for business. Without advertisers, Bill O’Reilly’s show was no longer commercially viable. Fox News had no choice but to fire O’Reilly. Accountability came from the outside, not from within,” Media Matters for America president Angelo Carusone said in a statement.

Check back for further details as they develop.</s>Bill O'Reilly's forced exit from Fox News is netting him a payout of up to $25 million, two sources with knowledge confirmed to NBC News.

The former Fox News anchor inked a new four-year contract last month guaranteeing he make that much annually, according to a person with knowledge of that deal. The contract did allow Fox to fire him in general if controversy was harming the network, the person added.

His severance has not been disclosed publicly, but was part of the agreement for him parting ways with parent company 21st Century Fox, New York magazine journalist Gabe Sherman earlier told TODAY.

The media company announced Wednesday it was dropping O'Reilly's prime-time political punditry show, "The O'Reilly Factor," amid mounting sexual harassment allegations made by former staffers and guests.

The New York Times revealed earlier this month that O'Reilly and his bosses paid about $13 million to five women in exchange for them not pursuing lawsuits or speaking about their cases.

In a statement following his ouster, O'Reilly said he was proud of his last 20-plus years at the cable network and again denied the accusations.

"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," said O'Reilly, 67, adding, "I wish only the best for Fox News Channel."

Related: How Much Money Did O'Reilly Bring in for Fox?

His payout would appear to be smaller than that given to former Fox News honcho Roger Ailes, who resigned last summer after facing his own spate of sexual harassment complaints made by female staffers. Ailes — who became the channel's founding CEO in 1996, the same year O'Reilly joined — reportedly received $40 million as part of his separation agreement. Ailes has also denied wrongdoing.

While O'Reilly was a star of the network, bringing in about 3.9 million viewers a night in recent months, Sherman said the accusations became too much — and even 21st Century Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch could no longer justify keeping him on.

"Really this was a storm that the Murdoch family wanted to weather, but ultimately, they realized they couldn't," Sherman said.

Early Thursday, a giant poster of O'Reilly displayed prominently outside of 21st Century Fox's New York City offices was boarded up.</s>O'Reilly is on the ropes, and could be going down.

Citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the discussion, New York Magazine reported Wednesday that the Murdoch family has decided that Fox News host Bill O'Reilly will leave the network before he returns from vacation on April 24th. Now what remains is managing how that departure will unfold.

The top Fox News host's future had grown uncertain as multiple outlets reported Wednesday the network was preparing to sever its relationship with him.

The news follows reporting by the New York Times that disclosed Bill O'Reilly and Fox parent 21st Century Fox had settled multiple sexual harassment complaints against the network's star anchor over the years for a total of $13 million.

Protesters have called for his resignation, and over 60 advertisers left his show in the ensuing backlash.

21st Century will hold a regularly scheduled board meeting on Thursday. While it's conceivable the host's situation could be discussed, the meeting's agenda is not public.

"Bill O'Reilly has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America," said his attorney Marc Kasowitz in a statement released Tuesday night.

"This law firm has uncovered evidence that the smear campaign is being orchestrated by far-left organizations bent on destroying O'Reilly for political and financial reasons. That evidence will be put forth shortly and it is irrefutable."

21st Century Fox has said that O'Reilly denies the merits of the claims. In a statement, O'Reilly said the settlements were made to "put to rest any controversies to spare my children."

The company has said it "takes matters of workplace behavior very seriously" and that "Mr. O'Reilly is fully committed to supporting our efforts to improve the environment for all our employees at Fox News."

While advertisers fled, his viewership went up after the Times story broke, rising to 3.71 million that week from 3.31 million the week before, according to the Nielsen company.

The host has been on a previously scheduled vacation in Italy since April 11, and viewership has declined 23 percent during that time, the AP reported. O'Reilly's favorability rating among his viewers is down to 73 percent this week from 80 percent last week, according to a National Research Group poll.

Fox News has been at the center of a storm of controversy that hasn't died down since Fox News Chairman and chief executive Roger Ailes resigned last year after he was accused of sexual harassment by several women. Ailes denied all of the allegations.

Top executives at Fox News were hoping the latest fracas over "The Factor" host would die down, the Wall Street Journal reported, but the continuing backlash has them now strongly considering an exit for O'Reilly to send a strong message.

The internal battle is also an intergenerational one.

Company patriarch and executive chairman Rupert Murdoch has resisted making a change, New York Magazine reported, citing three internal unnamed sources. O'Reilly's show was not just the most profitable at the network, but across all of cable news.

His sons and successors, James and Lachlan, want a different direction and a modernized workplace. James reportedly has argued for O'Reilly to go, with Lachlan originally landing somewhere between his brother and his father.

But Lachlan has now "leaned more in his brother James's direction" in the past few days, New York Magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman wrote.

Fox News had renewed O'Reilly's contract as the Times story was in the works, but the paper reported it was restructured to give Fox "more leverage over him regarding his behavior." That could now be a factor in the current negotiations.

When asked if Fox News would confirm O'Reilly's April 24th return date, a spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.</s>On 19 April 2017, claims appeared that Bill O’Reilly had been fired from Fox News and that a definitive decision was reached by the network to axe the well-known O’Reilly Factor:

The Bill O’Reilly era on cable news is coming to a close. By week’s end, the self-proclaimed champion of ‘no spin’ news, who made a career claiming he looked out for ‘the folks,’ will be out at Fox News, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal late Tuesday evening.

The claim spread widely on social media on 18 and 19 April 2017, at first without proof. However, later on 19 April 2017, 21st Century Fox confirmed the decision in a terse statement:

The rumors began to get traction on 18 April 2017, when reports (citing unnamed sources) maintained that Fox News was readying for dismissing O’Reilly. A Wall Street Journal article reported that Fox News was “preparing to cut ties with star anchor Bill O’Reilly, according to people close to the situation”:

A final resolution on the fate of Mr. O’Reilly, host of the “The O’Reilly Factor,” could come as early as the next several days, the people said. 21st Century Fox, which will hold a board meeting [20 April 2017], hasn’t finalized an exit agreement with Mr. O’Reilly, the people close to the situation said.

The New York Times also reported that O’Reilly’s relationship with Fox News had become “tenuous,” and that it showed signs of eroding.

The Hill reported on 19 April that Tucker Carlson would be moved into O’Reilly’s time slot:

Fox unveiled its new weeknight schedule moments after announcing O’Reilly was leaving the network in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” will move from its 9 p.m. spot into O’Reilly’s longtime 8 p.m. slot.

O’Reilly has not yet made a public comment on the decision.</s>Bill O'Reilly Out At Fox News After Sexual Harassment Allegations

21st Century Fox announced Wednesday that Bill O'Reilly will not return to Fox News after a review of the sexual harassment allegations against him that provoked an advertiser boycott.</s>Fox News Channel's parent company fired Bill O'Reilly on Wednesday following an investigation into harassment allegations, bringing a stunning end to cable news' most popular program and one that came to define the bravado of his network over 20 years.O'Reilly lost his job on the same day he was photographed in Rome shaking the hand of Pope Francis.The downfall of Fox's most popular - and most lucrative - personality began with an April 2 report in The New York Times that five women had been paid a total of $13 million to keep quiet about disturbing encounters with O'Reilly, who continued to deny any wrongdoing in a statement hours after he was fired. Dozens of his show's advertisers fled within days, even though O'Reilly's viewership increased.O'Reilly's exit came nine months after his former boss, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, was ousted following allegations of sexual harassment.Following the Times story, 21st Century Fox said it had asked the same law firm that investigated Ailes to look into O'Reilly's behavior. 21st Century Fox leaders Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James said in a memo to Fox staff that their decision to ax O'Reilly came following an "extensive review" into the charges."I understand how difficult this has been for many of you," Rupert Murdoch said in a memo to Fox staff.O'Reilly, denied a chance to say goodbye to his Fox viewers, did so via a statement."It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims," he said. "But that is the unfortunate reality that 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."O'Reilly's dismissal doesn't signal any change of direction for the network: Fox said conservative pundit Tucker Carlson would move into O'Reilly's time slot - the second time in three months he's replaced an exiting prime-time personality. Carlson, a veteran who has hosted shows on CNN, MSNBC and PBS, had taken over for Megyn Kelly in January when she announced she was moving to NBC News. "The Five," a talk show with five rotating hosts that regularly airs at 5 p.m. ET, will move into the 9 p.m. time slot. Eric Bolling will host a new show that airs at 5 p.m. starting next month, the company said.O'Reilly, 67, had ruled the "no spin zone" on television with a quick smile and an even quicker temper. He pushed a populist, conservative-leaning point of view born from growing up on Long Island, and was quick to shout down those who disagreed with him. Fans loved his willingness to talk back to power or point out hypocrisy among liberal politicians or media members.O'Reilly and President Donald Trump are both "crowd-pleasing showmen who know how to signal to loyalists in their audience that they are not taking themselves quite as seriously as their detractors are," said news consultant Andrew Tyndall. "Half of the fun that they have with their audiences comes from watching the outrage that they manage to provoke.""What Rush Limbaugh was to talk radio, Bill O'Reilly has been to conservative television," said Mark Feldstein, communication professor at the University of Maryland. "You can't underestimate the influence and the profits that he brought into Fox News for all these years and that's why they hesitated so long in doing the right thing."His show generated $178 million in advertising revenue in 2015, according to Kantar Media. Before the advertising boycott, there was the prospect of even more: his audience was larger in the first three months of 2017 than it has ever been. With a profit center gone, 21st Century Fox stock fell almost 1 percent Wednesday in heavy trading.O'Reilly's pugnacious personality wasn't just an onscreen affectation, with one of the settlements going to a woman who complained about being shouted at in the newsroom. O'Reilly was alleged to have slowed the careers of women who spurned his advances. One former Fox personality, Juliet Huddy, said she pulled away and fell to the ground when he tried to kiss her, and he didn't help her up, the Times reported.One harassment case, from a former producer who said O'Reilly called her and described sexual fantasies and appeared to be masturbating, dated back more than a decade and was widely reported then. While O'Reilly survived then, the accumulation of cases outlined in the Times damaged him much more extensively. For Fox executives, it wasn't clear when it would end: a campaign to target advertisers was continuing, a group of women demonstrated in front of Fox's headquarters Tuesday and another woman, a former clerical worker at Fox, called a harassment hotline and accusing the host of boorish behavior.Some of O'Reilly's critics were happy with the news.Author Stephen King tweeted: "New book by Fox News: Killing Bill O'Reilly." It referred to O'Reilly's series of best-selling books on the deaths of major historical figures."Mission accomplished," said Keith Olbermann, who frequently tweaked O'Reilly on an MSNBC show that competed in the same time slot for several years. Olbermann said that when he was working at Fox Sports in 1999, he helped a friend get a job at Fox News. She quit the job - and the business - due to her treatment by O'Reilly, he said."This has been going on for decades and I hope his having to go out in shame and disgrace makes things just a little bit better for her and all his victims right now," he said. "Certainly they make things better for America."But many of O'Reilly's fans took to social media to express their unhappiness at losing their hero. Several suggested that Fox had essentially caved to a left wing campaign. It didn't help that the controversy was set in motion by the Times, a publication hated in conservative circles.O'Reilly's lawyers said he was the victim of an orchestrated campaign by liberal organizations like Media Matters for America, which contacted his advertisers to pressure them to leave the show. Conservative personality Glenn Beck - who once lost a job at Fox because a similar campaign choked his program of paying advertisers - came to O'Reilly's defense on his radio show."You need to write and call Fox News Channel today and tell them, you can lose your advertisers or you can lose your viewers," Beck said on his radio show hours before the firing. "But you have to put some spine back into the Murdoch family and the Fox News Channel board because you are about to lose Bill O'Reilly."He was too late.O'Reilly is also one of the country's most popular nonfiction authors. The books in his "Killing" historical series, including "Killing Lincoln" and "Killing Reagan," have consistently sold 1 million or more copies in hardcover, a rare achievement in publishing, and his platform on Fox enabled him to promote his work. He has also had best-sellers with everything from the memoir "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" to his most recent work, "Old School," which includes passages urging the respectful treatment of women.O'Reilly and co-author Martin Dugard are due to release another book in the "Killing" series in September, and a spokeswoman for publisher Henry Holt and Co. said that plans had not changed.Vatican spokesman Greg Burke confirmed O'Reilly was in the VIP section for the pope's Wednesday appearance. Burke, a former Fox News correspondent in Rome, denied having facilitated the tickets. Such tickets can be obtained via special request to the papal household from embassies, high-ranking churchmen or Vatican officials.Francis always swings by the VIP seats at the end of his audience for a quick round of handshakes. A photographer from the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano snapped a photo of Francis reaching out to shake his hand.The following is the full text of the internal memo that was sent to Fox News Channel employees on Wednesday:
21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News, announces the firing of Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly.