There is an ongoing debate inside Fox News whether the network should keep Bill O'Reilly on its staff amid accusations that he sexually harassed women, according to one insider.
Gabriel Sherman of New York Magazine appeared on MSNBC's "AM Joy" Sunday morning and told host Joy Reid the Murdoch family is discussing O'Reilly's future at the cable news giant.
"There's a split. Rupert Murdoch, the patriarch of the family, is inclined to try to keep O'Reilly," Sherman said. "What I hear inside Fox News, the word is they do not want to be told what to do by The New York Times. There's a sense that Murdoch doesn't want to be pressured into making a decision.
"His sons, especially James Murdoch, who are trying to take the company in a more forward-looking direction, are saying, listen, this is a stain on our name. We need to move on, cut ties, and try to bring in a new face."
O'Reilly is currently on vacation and is slated to return to the air next week. The Times reported in early April that O'Reilly and Fox News have settled with five women over the years who accused the primetime host of verbal and/or sexual assault.
O'Reilly denied doing anything wrong and said he chose to pay the women in order to spare his family the embarrassment of public accusations.
"The problem is, Fox News is such a profit center," Sherman said. "Rupert Murdoch said this is a business that makes me over $1 billion of profit, and some disgruntled employees are not going to pressure me into cleaning house."