Fox News' copresident is out in the wake of Bill O'Reilly's sexual-harassment scandal

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May 1, 2017 7:53 PM

Pressure has mounted on Fox News Copresident Bill Shine in recent days.

Fox News Copresident Bill Shine is out at the network, two sources told New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman on Monday.

Rupert Murdoch, an executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, confirmed the news when he told employees Shine had resigned, according to CNN.

"Sadly, Bill Shine resigned today," Murdoch said in a statement to employees. "I know Bill was respected and liked by everybody at Fox News. We will all miss him."

After former host Bill O'Reilly was ousted in the wake of a sexual-harassment scandal, pressure had mounted on Shine and the network's other president, Jack Abernethy. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Murdoch and his sons, James and Lachlan, who are in charge of 21st Century Fox, were considering replacing Shine with a woman to help revamp Fox News' image.

Shine spearheaded the network's programming sector, while Abernethy is in charge of the business side of the company. Suzanne Scott has been named president of programming, and Jay Wallace is now president of news, Murdoch said in the statement.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shine was a staunch defender of O'Reilly when the host was at the network, and he sided with O'Reilly when former host Megyn Kelly said O'Reilly criticized her for speaking out about sexual harassment by Roger Ailes, the former CEO.

Ailes was dismissed from the network last summer after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. Shine has been named as a defendant, along with O'Reilly and Ailes, in several lawsuits against the network, including one sexual-harassment complaint by Laurie Luhn, a former Fox News booker, who has accused Ailes of harassment and "psychological torture" over 20 years.

The Murdochs feel that hiring a woman to be in charge of Fox News could lend credibility to their commitments to promote "a workplace based on the values of respect and trust," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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