O’Reilly Out: Carlson In

Five replaces Carlson; Bolling replaces Five; and Watters replaces Bolling. Yesterday, FNC honcho Rupert Murdoch “caved”: Joined his boys James and Lachlan in dethroning the King of Cable Bill O’Reilly (statement)–while O’Reilly was on vacation. And, O’Reilly did not get the last word on his once eponymous show last night newly named simply The Factor.

Rather, The Factor fill-in host Dana Perino solemnly declared, “Finally, tonight, it is the end of an era here at the Fox News Channel….Bill O’Reilly is leaving this chair and this network after more than twenty years. Bill has been the undisputed king of cable news, and for good reason: He is an incredibly talented broadcaster who raised the bar for interviewers everywhere; he has also held his staff to exacting standards in his quest to put the best possible program on the air and they are great; and you his audience responded in record numbers making The Factor the number one cable news show for more than sixteen years.” Trying to soften the blow to O’Reilly’s fans further, Dana declared, “In a memo to the staff today, Rupert, James, and Lachlan Murdoch who run Fox News described Bill this way, [saying], “By ratings standards, Bill O’Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news. In fact, his success by any measure is indisputable. We wish him the very best.”

Even though the Murdochs recently re-signed their FNC flagship anchor and top revenue generator to an 18-million-per-year contract, they decided to  jettison O’Reilly amid the continuing allegations of sexual harassment. According to the New York Times, Fox luminaries Rebecca Gomez (2011), Laurie Dhue (2016), and Juliet Huddy (2016) have received settlements: Furthermore, reportedly, erstwhile Outnumbered regular Andrea Tantaros‘s psychologist Michele Berdy said under oath that Andrea “complained to me about recurring unwanted advances from Bill O’Reilly.” To boot, the New York Daily News reported, “On the day before he [O’Reilly] was booted, a black colleague said a leering O’Reilly shamelessly ogled her cleavage and nicknamed her ‘Hot Chocolate.'”

Not amused, O’Reilly responded to his firing, saying, “It is tremendously disheartening that we [Fox News and O’Reilly] part ways due to completely unfounded claims. But that is the unfortunate reality many of us in the public eye must live with today. I will always look back on my time at Fox with great pride in the unprecedented success we achieved and with my deepest gratitude to all my dedicated viewers.” [For full statement, link here.]

As to O’Reilly’s dedicated viewers, they will now have “a new evening and prime time lineup” according to Fox News. As of Monday (April 24),  Tucker Carlson Tonight will replace the recently renamed O’Reilly Factor (to The Factor); The Five will follow with the usual cast of Kimberly Guilfoyle, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, Juan Williams, and Bob Beckel with the addition of Jesse Watters to take Eric Bolling‘s middle chair (April 24); Bolling gets his own show in the old The Five slot at 5:00 p.m. ET (May 1).

Coaxing his own Tucker Carlson Tonight viewers to make the jump to the new time last night, Tucker concluded his show saying, “There is change coming to Fox News, the channel and to this program: Starting Monday, we are moving to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. You’ve made the journey with us from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: We hope you’ll come along once more and join us an hour earlier.” Graciously, he aptly added, “We’ve got big shoes to fill: We’re going to do our best.”

Indeed, Tucker does have big shoes to fill: Whether O’Reilly devotees will give Tucker that chance remains to be known. And, to whether FNC fans cotton to James and Lachlan’s kinder, gentler Fox News is another issue altogether: Their father Rupert had the Midas touch with his “Mad Men” mentality. Going PC may be FNC’s folly: Alchemy in reverse.

Megyn Kelly: Trump Target?

Janice Dean: “This obsession with @megynkelly is disturbing and not presidential. Please stop. @realDonaldTrump.” Thus, came FNC meteorologist Janice Dean to the defense of her colleague and friend Megyn Kelly, host of FNC’s prime-time The Kelly File. Janice was not amused in the least with The Donald’s Tweet, saying, “Highly overrated & crazy @megynkelly is always complaining about Trump and yet she devotes her shows to me. Focus on others Megyn!”

As long-time Carpe Diem readers know, Janice and Megyn are FNC faves of the author: That said, Trump is a strange cat. Republican front runner Donald J. Trump has an eerie, incisive sense of what the populace apparently wants to be said and/or to to be done. And, Trump is the Energizer Bunny of the GOP base. And, he does not give a tinker’s damn what JAG/Senator Lindsey Graham, failed GOP standard bearer Mitt Romney, or even what W. thinks. And, he sure as heck does not care a whit what an FNC anchor opines. He is just that way: If in doubt, ask his bud Bill O’Reilly.

The Donald is a force to be reckoned with. He is a street fighter: In other words, when you hit him, he is going to hit you back HARD–repeatedly. He does not care what race, gender, etc. that you are. He is going to take you out if he perceives that you are a threat–or even if you just took the first shot.

Hopefully, Trump will dial it back a bit: But, Megyn will have to do the same. Hopefully, a little rapprochement is in the offing. If not, it will make for good TV–and good ratings.

O’Reilly: “Midnight Tantaros”

Andrea: “Oh no. This nickname is gonna stick.” Outnumbered co-host Andrea Tantaros was given a rather racy sobriquet by FNC ratings champ Bill O’Reilly. After introducing O’Reilly as today’s #oneluckyguy, Andrea remarked, “You know, we, we were on the Factor at eight and eleven last night: You kept me up ’til midnight. I’m not sick of you yet but we’ll check in afterwards.” Smiling mischievously, O’Reilly replied, “Well, I, I have to tell everybody [that] Tantaros’s nickname is ‘Midnight Tantaros.’ So…she leaves the show and goes out to Bungalow 14 or whatever it is.”

Shaking her head with amusement, Andrea smilingly exclaimed, “I don’t know where he gets this stuff from! Midnight at the Tantaros! Alright!”

Of course, Andrea’s acolytes may well have a clue. Their Aphrodite is a saucy Greek goddess who has been named one of the “Hottest Women of Fox News” by the “King of All Media,” Howard Stern; was interviewed in Playboy (“Yes, I’m in Playboy this month…No photos tho. Sorry!”); and downed 22 shots on her twenty-first birthday–not to mention who also snagged bad boy Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction guitarist (and whilom Red Hot Chili Peppers member).

Yes, “Midnight Tantaros” fits sexy Andrea just right. After O’Reilly had aptly dubbed her, one of Andrea’s Tweeps Tweeted, “You know…Midnight just rolls off the tongue-not that you could be any sexier.” In answer, Andrea exclaimed, “Oh no. This nickname is gonna stick. I can feel it. Thanks @oreillyfactor.”

Thanks indeed, O’Reilly! “Midnight Tantaros”? “Red Hot”!

Huddy Explains Her O’Reilly Absence

“I scared him.” Apparently, Fox 5 Good Day NY anchor Juliet Huddy‘s “hell” has frozen over. Less than four months after she was given a new segment entitled “Mad as Hell” on the O’Reilly Factor by its eponymous host Bill O’Reilly, Juliet explained why she is not on the Factor any more. When a fan asked her that very question (January 29), she Tweeted, “I scared him. :-)”

As Carpe Diem readers may well remember, Juliet was initially featured in O’Reilly’s Wednesday weekly “Did You See That?” After Heather Nauert replaced her on October 3 (2013) in that segment, Juliet was given a new weekly Thursday one, “Mad as Hell,” the very next day (Thursday): And, the following day (Friday), O’Reilly read a letter from one of Juliet’s fans saying, “Mr. O, if you discontinue the ‘Mad as Hell’ segment, I will be mad as hell.” Perhaps, tellingly, O’Reilly answered, “Alright, we’re gonna keep it…at least, for the time being.”

Subsequently, the author noted O’Reilly’s peculiar response: In his Carpe Diem‘s “Huddy’s ‘Hell’: To Freeze Over?,” the author remarked, “In [Roger] Ailes’ world…that ‘time being’ [can be] rather tenous–at best.” Unfortunately, for Juliet, that observation appears all too apt.

Huddy’s “Hell”: To Freeze Over?

O’Reilly: “We’re gonna keep it…at least, for the time being.” Good Day NY anchor Juliet Huddy was given an entirely new weekly segment from Bill O’Reilly entitled “Mad as Hell” Thursday on his eponymous show. A day earlier, Juliet’s erstwhile signature slot on the O’Reilly Factor, “Did You See That,” was handed to America’s Newsroom co-host Martha MacCallum. Stranger yet, O’Reilly himself seemed to suggest that Juliet’s new gig might not be long-lived.

Apparently, signaling the changes afoot on the Factor a week earlier (September 25), Martha Tweeted, “I will be on @oreillyfactor every Wed night.” Then, this past Wednesday, Martha appeared in Juliet’s place on “Did You See That” with no mention of the missing Juliet by either Martha or O’Reilly. However, at the end of the show, O’Reilly announced that the Factor on Thursday would “launch a brand new segment called ‘Mad as Hell'” with Juliet commenting on viewers’ missives about what really ticks them off.

True to O’Reilly’s word, Juliet appeared Thursday on “Mad,” opining with her “William” about e-mail from peeved viewers.* And, at the end of her segment, “O’Reilly asked for more such letters to them for the following Thursday.

However, on Friday, O’Reilly indicated that he and Juliet might not be entertaining such correspondence permanently. At the end of his show Friday, Bill read an e-mail from a fan of “Mad,” saying, “Mr. O, if you discontinue the Mad as Hell segment, I will be mad as hell.” In response, O’Reilly remarked, “Alright, we’re gonna keep it…at least, for the time being.”

In Ailes’ world lately, that “time being” is rather tenuous–at best.

*O’Reilly Factor – 10/03/13 (@ 7:29 p.m. ET)

**O’Reilly Factor – 10/04/13 (@8:55 p.m. ET)

Huddy: “On Oreilly every Wednesday.” Not!

[Updated, infra.] “Did You See That?” Fox & Friends First co-host Heather Nauert took Juliet Huddy‘s signature segment tonight on the O’Reilly Factor with nary a word of explanation from Bill (nor even a Tweet peep from Juliet).* In fact, when Bill introduced Heather to the absent Juliet’s “Did You See That?” audience (on CDC excessive alcohol use data), he simply said, “And, here now to explain further, Fox News correspondent Heather Nauert.” When Heather had finished opining and bantering with Bill, Bill presented the blond beauty further to his audience as a Fox & Friends First co-host on at 5:00 a.m.–the show that followed his own in its final airing of the night: But, no mention of Juliet.

Simply an oversight by “William” of his faithful friend? Perhaps. However, only yesterday, Juliet had confidently proclaimed, “On Oreilly [sic] every Wednesday” (when a Twitter follower had asked, “Where have you been…no more Oreilly or curvy couch?”). This Wednesday, she was nowhere to be found on O’Reilly: But, she was assuredly on Twitter, Tweeting thirteen missives–not a single one about her absence tonight.

O’Reilly Factor: Huddy out, Heather in? Stay tuned.

O’Reilly Factor – 08/21/13 (@ 8:49 p.m. ET)

Update: For the second week in a row (08/28/13), Huddy was still M.I.A.: America’s Newsroom co-anchor Martha MacCallum served instead as O’Reilly’s correspondent on “Did You See That?” Once again, Bill made no mention of Juliet on his show nor did Juliet provide any explanation via her Twitter chatter. O’Reilly Factor – 08/28/13 (11:49 p.m. ET).