Bill O'Reilly calls allegations he abused ex-wife '100 percent false'
Bill O'Reilly is denying a report that he physically abused his former wife.
"All allegations against me in these circumstances are 100 percent false," the Fox News host said in a statement issued through his attorney to the Hollywood Reporter.
Those allegations surfaced Monday when Gawker reported details leaked from a recently-ended three-year custody battle between O’Reilly and his ex-wife, Maureen McPhilmy.
According to Gawker, "a court-appointed forensic examiner testified at a closed hearing that O’Reilly’s daughter claimed to have witnessed her father dragging McPhilmy down a staircase by her neck, apparently unaware that the daughter was watching."
The incident allegedly occurred in the couple's Manhasset, Long Island, home prior to their 2010 separation. They divorced in 2011. Last month, a Nassau County court granted McPhilmy custody of the couple's two minor children.
Documents from the custody dispute are sealed. The website said it learned details from "a source familiar with the facts of the case."
"I am going to respect the court-mandated confidentiality put in place to protect my children and will not comment any further," O'Reilly said.
He did not address the allegation on Monday's "O'Reilly Factor."
In the past, O’Reilly has frequently used his top-rated cable news show to tackle controversies head-on. In February, he dismissed allegations by former CBS News colleagues who disputed his description of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as a “combat situation” during the 1982 Falklands War.
“I was there on the street with my camera crews,” O'Reilly said on "Factor." “The violence was horrific, as Argentine soldiers fired into the crowd, who were responding with violent acts of their own.”
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