Bill O'Reilly breaks silence on Fox firing: 'I am sad I’m not on television anymore'

Just days after being fired by Fox following multiple accusations of sexual harassment, Bill O’Reilly has returned to the airwaves.

Appearing on ‘No Spin News’ — hosted by the controversial anchor’s website — O’Reilly publicly spoke for the first time since being dismissed from the broadcaster.

“I am sad that I’m not on television anymore,” O’Reilly said, via Variety. “I was very surprised how it all turned out. I can’t say a lot, because there’s much stuff going on right now.

“But I can tell you that I’m very confident the truth will come out, and when it does, I don’t know if you’re going to be surprised – but I think you’re going to be shaken, as I am. There’s a lot of stuff involved here.”

O’Reilly went on to promise listeners he’d be delivering a daily 15-minute podcast, a new version of his Talking Points Memo segment from The O’Reilly Factor.

Continuing to talk about the dismissal, he said: “I can’t say anymore because I just don’t want to influence the flow of the information.

“I don’t want the media to take what I say and misconstrue it. However you, as a loyal O’Reilly listener, have a right to know, I think, down the lane what exactly happened. And we are working in that direction, okay?”

In their statement announcing O’Reilly’s dismissal, Fox said: “After a thorough review of the allegations against him, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Mr O’Reilly will not return to the Fox News Channel.”

Tucker Carlson will reportedly take over O'Reilly's slot, with his show Tucker Carlson Tonight moving from 9 pm to 8 pm. The decision to axe O’Reilly followed a report in the New York Times claiming the channel had paid out $17 million to settle claims against the anchor from five women. O’Reilly has continued to deny the accusations.