Listen. We all know that your Auntie Maxine Waters is not here for the shenanigans, and she doesn’t mince her words. Her tongue has grown sharper in the wake of the Trump administration, and that was proved once again Wednesday night when Auntie called Fox News “a sexual harassment enterprise.”
Auntie was speaking with Chris Hayes on the MSNBC show All In With Chris Hayes when she made the comment about the network and said that Fox host Bill O’Reilly needs to go to jail.
Hayes had this to say in response:
O’Reilly made headlines this week after a New York Times investigation revealed that five women had received payouts from O’Reilly and Fox parent company 21st Century Fox totaling $13 million in exchange for agreeing not to pursue litigation against O’Reilly or Fox and not to speak out about their accusations against him.
From the Times:
Two settlements came after the network’s former chairman, Roger Ailes, was dismissed last summer in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, when the company said it did not tolerate behavior that “disrespects women or contributes to an uncomfortable work environment.”
From the Huffington Post:
Since the Times article appeared, yet another Fox News personality has filed a sexual harassment suit against Ailes, who resigned in July following allegations from dozens of women; the same woman also sued Fox News and network Co-president Bill Shine for allegedly retaliating against her; a sixth O’Reilly accuser spoke out against him at a press conference amid calls for state and local officials to investigate the network; and a black Fox News employee sued over racial discrimination, becoming the third in two weeks to do so.
This flurry of negative stories is also playing out against the backdrop of a federal investigation into how 21st Century Fox disclosed settlements to various women alleging sexual harassment. The Times reported that settlements to two of O’Reilly’s accusers took place after Ailes’ ouster—and the company still extended the host’s contract.
Three dozen companies have pulled their advertising from O’Reilly’s show The O’Reilly Factor, and HuffPost reports that those that remain are receiving pressure on social media to do the same.
As always, Auntie Maxine is right on point, and we continue to be here for her, her words and her reads.
Fox News is a sexual harassment factory, apparently. It needs to be stopped.