John Oliver says Fox News won't take his new paid ad for Trump on the embattled O'Reilly Factor

John Oliver tries to buy ad time on The O'Reilly Factor
(Image credit: Last Week Tonight)

At least 60 advertisers have pulled the plug on Fox News star Bill O'Reilly's O'Reilly Factor since The New York Times reported a week ago that the cable news network and O'Reilly have paid out at least $13 million in sexual harassment settlements with five women since 2002, and another Fox News contributor came forward since the report. At this point, "almost nobody is standing by Bill O'Reilly," John Oliver said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "Nobody, that is, apart from the president of the United States."

"Bill O'Reilly needs advertisers, and Donald Trump needs to understand sexual harassment," Oliver said. "And here is where we come in." Since February, Last Week Tonight has been buying ads on TV shows Trump regularly watches, trying to slip him messages through a catheter-using cowboy character. Oliver has a new ad for The O'Reilly Factor. "We submitted it to stations on Friday, but weirdly, we haven't heard back from them since," he said. "Which is a little surprising, because we're one of the only advertisers offering to buy time on his show at the moment. And I do hope they don't reject this ad, but just in case they do, here's a sneak peak of what we'd like the president to see." Watch the most safe-for-work (but still borderline) part of Oliver's segment, plus the ad, below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.