Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, fearful of anything remotely related to the news of the world, then you probably know all about Bill O’Reilly’s latest scandal. The Fox News personality, whose record already included several known settlements and allegations of sexual assault by former coworkers and show guests, has come under fire yet again for the very same reason. Advertisers have pulled their content from The O’Reilly Factor in droves, late night comedy and news programs have taken pot shots at the matter, and even the President of the United States — of all people — has weighed in.
Yet Late Show host Stephen Colbert, a rather prominent voice in the television landscape with close ties to O’Reilly, has remained decidedly quiet during the past week. It wasn’t until Wednesday’s program, in fact, that the heir to David Letterman’s spot finally weighed in. Which is rather telling, for as Deadline notes, O’Reilly has frequently appeared on Colbert’s Late Show since it started in 2015. The host admitted as much on Wednesday, though with an added caveat:
“There’s one thing that I haven’t done on this show, and that’s talk about Bill O’Reilly. Bill comes on the show, we have a good time when he’s on here, we have nice conversations — but I talked about him for like 10 years, and I think that’s enough. But I do talk about Donald Trump, and today the two worlds collided when Donald Trump stuck his — let’s say ‘finger’ — into O’Reilly’s sticky situation.”
Sure enough, O’Reilly has appeared on Colbert’s Late Show four times, and while their conversations haven’t always been agreeable, they’ve at least been cordial to one another in a manner unlike previous meetings between the Fox News anchor and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart. Because of this professional relationship and, as Colbert reminded his audience, 10 years of lampooning O’Reilly on The Colbert Report, the Late Show host opted out of diving right into the scandal.
Trump’s late and unintentionally ironic entry into the affair, however, offered Colbert the perfect vehicle with which to discuss the sexual assault allegations against O’Reilly. Not only that, but the utter ridiculousness of Trump’s comments (in light of similar allegations levied against him) presented Colbert with the perfect opportunity to needle both men while channeling his long-since retired Colbert Report character:
“On Saturday, the New York Times reported that Fox News and Bill O’Reilly had spent more than $13 million to settle sexual harassment suits against Bill O’Reilly. Although O’Reilly says the accusations against him are without merit, okay New York Times? What happened to innocent until proven to have $13 million?”
The nod to Papa Bear’s biggest fan was sleight, but noticeable — especially to anyone familiar with The Colbert Report. By seemingly taking a stance against the New York Times report on O’Reilly’s behalf while making jokes against him, Colbert became that Colbert for a moment. It was a fleeting moment, of course, but combined with all the Trump jokes, it was enough to admit The Late Show into the O’Reilly fray on its own terms.
(Via Deadline)
