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Fact check: How many settlements did Bill O'Reilly reportedly pay and in which years (2002–2017)?
Executive Summary
Bill O’Reilly is reported to have been involved in either five settlements between 2002 and 2016 and a separate large $32 million settlement reported in 2017, bringing reported totals to five to six settlements depending on accounting; some accounts present the 2017 Lis Wiehl payment as a sixth settlement that raised his total to roughly $45 million [1] [2] [3]. The record across major outlets is consistent that settlements occurred in 2002, 2004, 2011, 2016 and that a major $32 million agreement was reported in October 2017, but outlets differ on whether earlier totals already included all payments and on whether the 2017 payment was directly by O’Reilly or separately negotiated with 21st Century Fox [4] [5] [6].
1. How many settlements? The numbers that reporters found and why they differ
Major investigations published in 2017 present two competing tallies: one narrative reports five settlements between 2002 and 2016 tied to specific women and incidents, totaling amounts reported as roughly $13 million paid by O’Reilly or Fox across that span, while another narrative treats a $32 million 2017 agreement with Lis Wiehl as an additional, sixth settlement, pushing cumulative reported payouts to about $45 million [1] [2] [3]. The discrepancy stems from timing and whether the 2017 New York Times–reported Wiehl payment is counted alongside previously disclosed settlements; early timelines compiled in spring 2017 listed five settlements through 2016, and the late-October 2017 reporting revealed the larger Wiehl agreement as the sixth and largest [1] [2]. The difference is therefore procedural, not necessarily contradictory: one set of reports predated the Wiehl revelation while later pieces incorporated it as a sixth settlement [2].
2. Which years are repeatedly cited and which victims are named in the timelines
Reporting across outlets consistently cites settlements or claims in 2002, 2004, 2011 and 2016, naming women such as Rachel Witlieb Bernstein [7], Andrea Mackris [8], Rebecca Gomez Diamond [9], and Laurie Dhue and Juliet Huddy [10] among others tied to Fox-era payouts or agreements [4] [11]. These years recur because multiple outlets reconstructed a timeline of allegations and settlements that focalized on early-2000s incidents, a middle period, and a cluster of 2016 cases that drew renewed attention during the broader 2016–2017 workplace harassment scrutiny. The 2017 Lis Wiehl matter, reported in October 2017 as a $32 million agreement, is presented by some outlets as a separate and later settlement, clearly dated in reporting to 2017 [6] [5].
3. The 2017 $32 million report: what changed the public accounting
In October 2017 multiple outlets reported a $32 million settlement with Lis Wiehl and described it as the largest payment associated with O’Reilly; that disclosure prompted recalculation of his cumulative settlements to about $45 million when combined with earlier known payouts, and it underscored disagreements over what 21st Century Fox knew about payments and contractual protections for O’Reilly [2] [6] [5]. Coverage noted that Fox was aware of a claim but not necessarily of the financial terms, and that contract language and company protections were a key element in the sequence that culminated in O’Reilly’s April 2017 departure. This late-2017 revelation is the primary reason some outlets list six settlements while earlier accounts list five [5] [2].
4. Why sources differ: timing, corporate responsibility, and definition of ‘settlement’
Differences among outlets arise from when investigators published timelines, who was counted as the payer (O’Reilly personally versus 21st Century Fox), and what the reporters counted as a “settlement” (signed private confidentiality agreements versus settlements disclosed by Fox). Spring 2017 reconstructions enumerated five paid matters through 2016, while subsequent reporting after October 2017 incorporated the Lis Wiehl figure and reframed totals accordingly [1] [2]. Some pieces emphasize Fox’s role and its internal handling; others emphasize O’Reilly’s personal denials and contractual terms that shielded or implicated the company. These methodological choices explain why the public record shows both five settlements through 2016 and a sixth large payment reported in 2017 [6] [11].
5. Bottom line for the 2002–2017 span and guidance for readers
For the period 2002–2017 the most defensible statement is that reporting identifies five settlements occurring between 2002 and 2016, and a separate $32 million settlement reported in October 2017 that many outlets count as a sixth payment, yielding a reported cumulative figure near $45 million [1] [2] [3]. Readers should note that public tallies rely on investigative reporting, timing of disclosures, and distinctions between personal and corporate payments; outlets published their findings in April–May 2017 and again in October 2017, and those publication dates mark why some narratives document five settlements while later coverage documents a sixth large payout [1] [6] [5]. Taken together, the record supports five settlements in 2002–2016 plus the significant 2017 disclosure that many outlets treated as a sixth settlement [2].