For all the power and clout Bill O’Reilly had as the most popular TV personality on Fox News, the news cycle concerning his dismissal seems already over as I post this podcast. That, at least, seems fitting.
O’Reilly was a pompous gas bag. His many sins on air seemed only to fuel his conservative fan base. That his alleged sins off air finally caught up to him, well, fine.
Scott Thompson called about O’Reilly Friday and you can listen to that radio conversation here. O’Reilly was tossed under the Fox News bus when a reported 90 sponsors pulled out of his show after allegations of sexual misconduct and reports of sexual harassment settlements. That none of these advertisers had any problem with the hate O’Reilly had been spewing for years, along with his sucky race baiting allegations (which led to a fine book by my buddy Eric Deggans), is shameful.
I always thought less of Letterman for having O’Reilly on to promote his latest crappy book he didn’t even write about famous dead people. Letterman would spar with O’Reilly but he also legitimized him.
Colbert, on the other hand, emerges heroic after 10 years of well-aimed mocking.
As I suggest to Scott, Trump also led to O’Reilly’s downfall. Without Obama as a backboard, O’Reilly and Fox News in general had nothing to bounce anything off of. You can listen to the entire radio rant here.
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