Apparently, one televised swipe at Megyn Kelly for opening up about sexual harassment at Fox was not enough for Bill O’Reilly. So after all but telling her to just shut up on CBS, he made sure Fox News viewers heard the jab by repeating it on The O’Reilly Factor.
As I wrote yesterday, when O’Reilly was asked on CBS on Tuesday about Kelly’s book, he made the shocking statement that he was not interested in sexual harassment because it didn’t affect him:
O’REILLY: It doesn’t pertain to my life ... I’m not interested in making my network look bad.
Actually, it does pertain to his life because he was twice accused of harassing female employees. So it’s not just his network that looks bad.
But as if to prove just what kind of dick he is, O’Reilly reiterated his attack on Kelly Tuesday night during his Tip of the Day segment at the end of his show. That way, O’Reilly not only ensured that Fox viewers heard his bash, he got them just before they tuned into Kelly's show. I’m sure there are a sizable number of O’Reilly Factor viewers who catch The Kelly File because they just keep the TV tuned to Fox. I’m sure there are plenty more who tune in a few minutes early and catch the Tip of the Day before Kelly takes over the airwaves.
O’Reilly didn’t mention Kelly by name but there’s no doubt who he was referring to:
O’REILLY: So here’s the deal. If somebody is paying you a wage, you owe that person or company allegiance. If you don’t like what’s happening in the workplace, go to human resources or leave. I’ve done that. And then take the action you need to take afterward if you feel aggrieved. There are labor laws in this country. But don’t run down the concern that supports you by trying to undermine it. Factor Tip of The Day: Loyalty is good. [via Media Matters]
What O’Reilly failed to tell the folks he purports to be “looking out for” is that you can’t always go to the Human Resources department. As Kelly said in a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper last night (the second video below), Fox CEO and harasser Ailes “had loyalists placed throughout the company and he demanded loyalty.”
I have been very critical of Kelly for withholding information until now both about how her network likely colluded with Trump and how Trump threatened her during the campaign. I called her move a disgrace to journalism. But writing about her experiences with sexual harassment that was reportedly widespread and brought down the CEO is not at all part of the problem.
Watch O’Reilly and Kelly below, from the November 15, 2016 The O’Reilly Factor and the November 16, 2016 Anderson Cooper 360°.
Now Megyn Kelly has to go around the Christmas party with Bill O’Reilly staring daggers at the back of her head.