'I am mad at him': Bill O'Reilly blames GOD for not protecting him from sexual harassment allegations

  • Bill O'Reilly was fired from Fox News in April after settlements over allegations
  • Has blamed 'political and financial motivations' of the media and his accusers
  • But on Monday night presenter said he was mad at God for not protecting him 

By Charlie Moore For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Bill O'Reilly has blamed God for sexual harassment claims against him.  

The presenter, who was fired from Fox News in April, is thought to have made settlements with at least six women since 2004.

He has repeatedly blamed 'political motivations' of the media and 'financial motivations' of his accusers but on Monday night he found a new culprit.

Divine intervention? Bill O'Reilly has blamed God for sexual harassment claims against him
His comments came after the New York Times on Saturday published an article alleging that he struck a $32million agreement with Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl (pictured) to settle sexual harassment allegations in January

Divine intervention? Bill O'Reilly has blamed God for sexual harassment claims against him; his comments come after the New York Times claims he struck a $32million agreement with Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl (pictured right)

Speaking on his podcast No Spin News, he said: 'You know, am I mad at God? Yeah, I'm mad at him.'

'I wish I had more protection. I wish this stuff didn't happen. I can't explain it to you. Yeah, I'm mad at him.'

O'Reilly said of his accusers: 'If they could literally kill me, they would.' 

'If I die tomorrow and I get an opportunity, I'll say, "Why'd you guys work me over like that? Didn't [you] know my children were going to be punished? And they're innocent".'

He added: 'But then I think about people who have it much, much rougher than me. And you know, I'm a big mouth. I'm a target. They're not targets.'

His comments came after the New York Times on Saturday published an article alleging that he struck a $32million agreement with Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl to settle sexual harassment allegations in January.

O'Reilly said of the paper: 'So they came back with another bunch of garbage. I talked to them this time just to see the devil that I was dealing with.' 

Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly at The 35 Most Powerful People in Media hosted by The Hollywood Reporter in 2014

Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly at The 35 Most Powerful People in Media hosted by The Hollywood Reporter in 2014

'And I truly believe that these people at the New York Times are out to hurt people with whom they disagree. They don't want me in the marketplace. That's what this is all about.'

He told the paper that there was no merit to the allegations against him. He said: 'I never mistreated anyone,' adding that he had resolved matters privately because he wanted to protect his children from the publicity.

'It's politically and financially motivated... but I'm not going to sit here in a courtroom for a year and a half and let my kids get beaten up every single day of their lives.'   

On Glenn Beck's radio program on Monday, O'Reilly called the Times report inaccurate but said legal documents forced him to keep quiet about the details.

'It's very frustrating for me being accused of everything under the sun and being linked with Harvey Weinstein,' said O'Reilly. 

'This is dishonest in the extreme and it's frustrating, but unless I want another seven or eight years of litigation that puts my children in the "kill zone," I have to maintain my discipline.'

He later added: 'I can tell you this: In 20 plus years at the Fox News Channel I resolved three things and I only did that to keep my children safe.' 

O'Reilly's latest comments also come after he was attacked by former colleague Megyn Kelly on her eponymous hour of 'Today'.

'Fox News was not exactly a friendly environment for harassment victims who wanted to report, in my experience,' said Kelly, who spent over a decade at the network before making the move to NBC.

'However, O'Reilly's suggestion that no one complained about his behavior is false. I know because I complained.'

That bombshell blew a giant hole in the narrative that O'Reilly and Fox News have been ceaselessly defending since March, when a New York Times story revealed that five women had settled harassment suits against O'Reilly. 

O'Reilly later said on Glenn Beck's radio program: 'I never had any problem with Megyn Kelly.

'I don't know why Megyn Kelly is doing what she's doing. I don't know why'.

He added that he called her actions 'incomprehensible', stating: 'I have dramatically helped her in her career'.

He also argued that she never filed a complaint. 

 

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