Appearing on the Today show Tuesday morning to promote the latest in his Killing book series, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly couldn’t find anything negative to say about former boss Roger Ailes—even after 21st Century Fox apologized for his repeated sexual-harassment of former host Gretchen Carlson. In recent weeks, figures like Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera and now-former host Greta Van Susteren walked back their prior support for Ailes after additional accusations emerged. Asked if he has “learned” anything that might make him alter what he previously described as “100 percent” confidence in Ailes, O’Reilly said he doesn’t “know anything” about the case that ended in a $20 million settlement for Carlson and maintained that Ailes is the “best boss” he’s ever had.
As someone who worked under Ailes at Fox News for 20 years, he insisted, “I don’t really have any insight into anything, so for once in my life, I’m going to keep my big mouth shut.” Before moving on, however, O’Reilly called Ailes’s demise a “sad situation for everyone involved” and said he “feels bad” for Ailes’s family. He did not express any sympathy for Carlson, Andrea Tantaros, Megyn Kelly, or any other Fox News colleagues who have reportedly accused Ailes of sexual harassment.