Bill O'Reilly Is Trying To Make His Podcast A Thing

If you thought you had heard the last of now-former Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly after his very public ouster last week, you were wrong. As it turns out, O'Reilly has a podcast for premium members of his eponymous website. Following his removal from cable TV news last week, O'Reilly temporarily made the podcast free for listeners with a new episode on Monday, where he responded to the scandal that now bears his name and shared details about what's to come in his career.

O'Reilly calls the podcast, which is listed on iTunes as "Bill O'Reilly's Free Podcast," his No Spin News. Typically, it's only available to paying, premium members of his website. According to the website, No Spin News offers up "the things Bill can't say on television" — an ironic tagline, given O'Reilly's departure from Fox News last week. His ouster occurred after weeks of rumors and news reports pointed to various sexual harassment cases involving O'Reilly during his tenure at the conservative news network. He has denied all the charges.

Likely as a ploy to attract supporters in the wake of his departure from TV, O'Reilly began allowing people to stream the podcast for free on Monday. New episodes will be available Monday through Thursday, and the paywall will be reinstated next week. Ultimately, O'Reilly said at the beginning of Monday's episode that his "vision" is to turn No Spin News into a "genuine news program."

Before diving into the news, O'Reilly gave listeners a response to the ongoing sexual harassment scandal. He said he was "sad," but he didn't give away too many details because "I don't want the media to take what I say and misconstrue it." Toward the end of the episode, he wished Fox News the best:

I am sad that I’m not on television anymore. 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 am 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.

The anti-media rhetoric that O'Reilly has become known for continued during discussion of his top story, President Trump's approval rating. O'Reilly criticized the media for presenting information about Trump's approval rating inaccurately. "Then they deceive, as the mainstream media does on a daily basis," he said.

Other stories from Monday's episode include O'Reilly's perspective on the French presidential election, Ann Coulter's canceled appearance at the University of California, Berkeley (a place O'Reilly "would never in a million years go to"), and several notes from the listener message boards. O'Reilly also reassured listeners that his planned nationwide tour will continue as scheduled.

The podcast had shot to the number-two spot on iTunes by Tuesday. Even though it's only free for a week, the podcast (and news of the nationwide tour) shows that O'Reilly may have left cable TV, but he hasn't quite left the spotlight.