Bill O’Reilly Ousted from Fox News

“Pride proceeds the fall.” — Proverbs 16:18

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” — Warren Buffett

Some people might say he went from hero to zero.

Bill O’Reilly had the #1 cable news show for some 20 years… a half dozen #1 bestselling books and sold-out shows around the country. He was married, with a beautiful wife and two children. His popularity was due largely to his aggressive defense of “the folks” and their good-family conservative values. He promised every night an hour of “no spin” and honest reporting. I watched his show pretty regularly and enjoyed his repartee with various guests.

As a Fox News host, O’Reilly had it all. Then it all came apart after the New York Times revealed that over the years Fox News had paid out $13 million to women who said they had been sexually harassed by O’Reilly. His wife divorced him in 2011. And now he has lost his #1 show on cable TV.

I met Bill O’Reilly a couple of times. He always looked down on you from his 6’ 4” frame, and always had a disdain for “the folks.” I did notice from the beginning that he had a penchant for having good-looking fake blonds on his show, and Fox News went along with it. With the behind-the-scenes culture at Fox News that has been reported first with the ousting of its former Chairman Roger Ailes last year and now its star host O’Reilly amid sexual harassment allegations, now we know why.

A repentant O’Reilly will probably make a comeback at some point. Even Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart is back after his public confession of “moral failure” in 1988. But it took years and his life has never been the same.

I look forward to meeting and hearing Greg Gutfeld’s views on the shake-up at Fox News when he speaks at our opening ceremonies on Wednesday, July 19, at FreedomFest. See you there!

Mark Skousen

Mark Skousen, Ph. D., is a professional economist, investment expert, university professor, and author of more than 25 books. He earned his Ph. D. in monetary economics at George Washington University in 1977. He has taught economics and finance at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Grantham University, Barnard College, Mercy College, Rollins College, and is a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He also has been a consultant to IBM, Hutchinson Technology, and other Fortune 500 companies. Since 1980, Skousen has been editor in chief of Forecasts & Strategies, a popular award-winning investment newsletter. He also is editor of four trading services, Skousen TNT Trader, Skousen Five Star Trader, Skousen Home Run Trader, and Skousen Fast Money Alert. He is a former analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, a columnist to Forbes magazine (1997-2001), and past president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in New York. He has written articles for The Wall Street Journal, Liberty, Reason, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Christian Science Monitor, and The Journal of Economic Perspectives. He has appeared on ABC News, CNBC Power Lunch, CNN, Fox News, and C-SPAN Book TV. In 2008-09, he was a regular contributor to Larry Kudlow & Co. on CNBC. His economic bestsellers include “Economics on Trial” (Irwin, 1991), “Puzzles and Paradoxes on Economics” (Edward Elgar, 1997), “The Making of Modern Economics” (M. E. Sharpe, 2001, 2009), “The Big Three in Economics” (M. E. Sharpe, 2007), “EconoPower” (Wiley, 2008), and “Economic Logic” (2000, 2010). In 2009, “The Making of Modern Economics” won the Choice Book Award for Outstanding Academic Title. His financial bestsellers include “The Complete Guide to Financial Privacy” (Simon & Schuster, 1983), “High Finance on a Low Budget” (Bantam, 1981), co-authored with his wife Jo Ann, “Scrooge Investing” (Little Brown, 1995; McGraw Hill, 1999), and “Investing in One Lesson” (Regnery, 2007). In honor of his work in economics, finance, and management, Grantham University renamed its business school “The Mark Skousen School of Business.” Dr. Skousen has lived in eight nations, and has traveled and lectured throughout the United States and 70 countries. He grew up in Portland, Ore. He and his wife, Jo Ann, and five children have lived in Washington, D.C.; Nassau, the Bahamas; London, England; Orlando, Fla.; and New York. For more information about Mark’s services, go to http://www.markskousen.com/