In his new book, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly says he is reaching out to a generation of Americans he believes are under siege. He draws a hard line between “Old School folks” and “Snowflakes.”
“This book will explain the looming confrontation so even the ladies on The View can understand it,” reads a plug for the book on the publisher’s site.
“Old School” was released last week. It will debut at the number one spot on the nonfiction hardcover New York Times bestseller list the week of April 16.
On Saturday, the New York Times reported that O’Reilly, Fox News and parent company 21st Century Fox have paid $13 million in settlements to five women who accused the television personality of sexual harassment and verbal abuse.
About 50 companies have since pulled their commercials from O’Reilly’s show.
In a chapter on dating, O’Reilly has a section on consent called “No means no.”
“It would be easy to make fun of all the hoops college administrators expect their students to jump through today before they engage in any kind of intimacy,” he writes. “But there’s no middle ground here. It’s all about the Old School tenets of respect and responsibility. No means no.”
The book attempts to map the “ongoing battle between traditional Americans and those who want a kinder, gentler landscape full of ‘conversations’ and group hugs.” He asks readers to “consider what’s been happening on some of our college campuses,” and opines against safe spaces, trigger warnings and the state of America’s universities.
And while O’Reilly bestows the “Old School” label on women as well as men — he names singer Tina Turner and former first lady Michelle Obama — he exhibits little tolerance for those whole play “the gender card.”
O’Reilly also offers a blunt assessment of workplace dynamics. In a chart that compares “Old School” businesses to “Snowflake” businesses, O’Reilly notes that the most powerful person at a Snowflake company is the head of HR — not the CEO.
“You’re a Snowflake if you use the word mansplaining,” he writes.
O’Reilly extolls the value of hard work, and tells readers that he himself “played no corporate games” to get to the top.
“I had a big advantage in climbing the TV news ladder: I stayed single,” he said. “I did not have financial obligations to anyone. So, if a newsroom boss was abusive or stupid (not a rare thing), I could move to another situation — which I did.”
The book, co-written by screenwriter and author Bruce Feirstein, is published by Henry Holt, which has said it has “no comment at this time” on the allegations against O’Reilly.
21st Century Fox, Fox News’ parent company and part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, is standing behind O’Reilly. The company said in a statement that he “denies the merits of these claims,” but hasn’t addressed the situation since Saturday.
The company is currently under federal investigation for how it handled payments to women who accused former Fox News chief and founder Roger Ailes of sexual harassment. The Justice Department is looking into whether Fox News should have revealed the settlements to shareholders.
Ailes was hit with another sexual harassment lawsuit on Monday by Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky. He has denied all of the allegations against him.