Bill O'Reilly Promises Podcast Listeners They'll Be 'Shaken' By New Information

In his first time speaking publicly since he was unceremoniously ousted from Fox News last week, Bill O’Reilly resumed hosting duties on his nightly podcast Monday.

O’Reilly opened his “No Spin News” podcast by promising his listeners that new details  presumably ones redeeming him in his sexual harassment scandal are forthcoming.

“I am sad that I’m not on television anymore,” he said. “I was very surprised how it all turned out. I can’t say a lot, because there’s much stuff going on right now. But I can tell you that I’m very confident the truth will come out, and when it does, I don’t know if you’re going to be surprised, but I think you’re going to be shaken, as I am. There’s a lot of stuff involved here.”

He also introduced a new plan for the episodes, which had typically been around four minutes long . Going forward, O’Reilly said, the show will have about 12 to 15 minutes of news discussion and will eventually include on-air guests, becoming “longer and longer and longer, into a genuine news program.”

O’Reilly spent the rest of the episode discussing President Donald Trump ’s approval ratings, the French election, former President Barack Obama ’s return to public life and the dustup over Ann Coulter ’s speaking engagement at the University of California, Berkeley. 

The show, which is free this week but available only to paying subscribers  starting May 1, last aired April 11 , just days after an explosive New York Times report found that O’Reilly and Fox News had paid about $13 million in settlements to address complaints brought by five of his female former colleagues. 

The revelations led to a mass exodus  of advertisers, protests outside Fox News headquarters and, ultimately, the network’s decision to cut ties with O’Reilly last Wednesday and ax his top-rated show, “The O’Reilly Factor.” 

O’Reilly categorically denied the accusations made in the Times’ story and lamented his ouster as the price of fame. 

“It is tremendously disheartening that we part ways due to completely unfounded claims,” he said in statements last week. “But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today.”

He walked away with a $25 million payout as part of his settlement to leave the network.

In addition to continuing his podcast, O’Reilly has a speaking tour scheduled to start in June with Fox News personality Jesse Watters and comedian and political commentator Dennis Miller.

Similar to complaints lodged against advertisers on “The O’Reilly Factor,” his “The Spin Stops Here” tour has been the subject of public outcry. More than 26,000 people have signed a petition urging the speaking venues in Anaheim, California; Westbury, New York; Tampa, Florida; Baltimore; and Las Vegas to cancel his appearances.