Bill O’Reilly Reportedly In Talks to Return to Cable News

Bill O’Reilly is reportedly hoping to return to cable TV after a number of sexual harassment claims ousted him from Fox News last year.

O’Reilly is eyeing an 8 p.m. slot on Newsmax TV, according to a report by Page Six. Sources told the outlet that O’Reilly was one of three former Fox News hosts to be approached by Newsmax. The others were Greta Van Susteren and Eric Bolling, reportedly.

Newsmax is going after the Fox market hard. The same sources said that the cable network was in talks with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who would star on a politically oriented late-night panel show.

“The deals are not done yet, but talks are in the advanced stages, certainly with O’Reilly. The thinking is, following a 6 p.m. news show, Greta would anchor the 7 p.m. hour, O’Reilly would be back at 8 p.m., and Bolling could smoothly continue on at 9 p.m. Spicer and his cohorts would go on at 10 p.m., with the later slot allowing the show to be looser. But the deals are not yet signed and sealed.”

It’s been about a year since O’Reilly was forced off the air at Fox News. He left a number of sexual harassment allegations against him were made public, as well as the settlements he paid to his alleged victims.

Apparently, his plans to return to TV have been helped by Michael Clemente. The former executive vice president of news at Fox joined Newsmax Broadcasting in April. He now holds the role of CEO, in a prime position to put O’Reilly back on air.

Whether the report is true or not, O’Reilly shows every sign of continuing to speak out in one way or another. The 68-year-old has continued to air an online news show called No Spin News on his own website. He has also taken an active role on Twitter, weighing in on the issues of the day despite being summarily mocked by many users on the platform.

In addition to all of that, O’Reilly is reportedly working on more books while alone in his Long Island home. The former host has been sequestered in Montauk, New York.

Christopher Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax Media and close friend of President Donald Trump, reportedly hopes to turn the outlet into a “kinder, gentler” version of Fox News. If O’Reilly joins the line-up, he’ll battle it out with his own replacement, Tucker Carlson, for the 8 p.m. audience.