Numerous sources are now saying that Bill O'Reilly is out at Fox News. We're not going to weep for the guy. He's got eighty zillion dollars and given his track record, he's probably already got better offers up the ying-yang. Come to think of it, he was probably fired for making women better offers up the ying-yang. When someone so successful is axed, I always figure that there were already people in the company — whatever company it is — who already wanted to replace him and that they just got empowered.
Two things interest me about O'Reilly and only two things. One is that he's been one of the most-watched, most-read conservative commentators in the country for a very long time and yet, as I browse right-wing pundits and websites, I almost never see him quoted or even mentioned. Folks in that world love Sean Hannity and Rush and Ann Coulter and many, many columnists. I see almost zero love for Papa Bear, as Stephen Colbert — who is famously terrified of bears — calls him. And yet O'Reilly has the biggest audience.
Second thing: I don't like people who talk tough. In most cases, it's a sham because they aren't tough. In fact, in most cases, their actions are the opposite of their words and their supporters regard that as a minor discrepancy, easily overlooked. Hearing some people talk tough just gives some folks a tingle and I think that's one of the reasons we have who we have in the White House. There are certain fans Trump will never lose even if he never builds that wall, never cracks down on illegal immigration, never eradicates ISIS, etc. They hear the fiery rhetoric and say, "That man's a leader," never mind that he doesn't lead where he vows to take us.
Part of O'Reilly's entertainment value has always been how he dominated his show, controlled the flow of information on it and attacked his guests just enough to make "good television" but not so much that they wouldn't return next week. It was wrestling, not discussion. To the extent he won debates, he generally won them by being loud and defining the battle on his terms. Sometimes, he may also have been right but on his show, that was kind of irrelevant.
I always found his show unwatchable because the arguments — usually on his side, often on the other — were so phony and theatrical with no seeking of common ground. I'm not interested in that but I sure understand why it's popular. I expect it will continue to be popular wherever he lands…and land he will.