The biggest story to dominate the news cycle outside of the Donald Trump administration has been about Bill O'Reilly. After the Fox News host was revealed to have reached a multi-million dollar settlement with five women who accused him of sexual harassment, celebrities have not been shy about voicing their opinions.
Midler on O'Reilly
Over the last year, the Fox News Channel has been doing their best to bounce back and re-brand their image after the scandal involving Roger Ailes became public. Ailes, the founder and former CEO of the network, was forced to step down from his role in 2016 after numerous women, many of whom were employed at Fox News, accused him of various acts of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
After the New York Times broke their story earlier this month about O'Reilly, the backlash has only increased by the day. Over 50 sponsors have since pull ads from the time slot of "The O'Reilly Factor," despite the show seeing an increase in ratings. While Bill O'Reilly has been quiet about the issue, leaving only his legal team to publicly comment, that hasn't stopped critics from sounding off. As seen on her Twitter account over the weekend, legendary actress Bette Midler had a few words to say about the controversial conservative host.
#BillOReilly writes a book about "Old School" values that include treating women with respect!!! Hilarious! ANYONE WHO BUYS IT IS AN IDIOT!
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) April 9, 2017
Taking to her social media feed this week, Bette Midler didn't hold back her thoughts about the aforementioned issue.
"Bill O'Reilly writes a book about 'Old School' values that include treating women with respect!!! Hilarious!," she wrote on Twitter, before adding in all caps, "ANYONE WHO BUYS IT IS AN IDIOT!" Midler's comments double down on her previous posts, which were just as hard on host from Fox News.
My my, Bill O'Reilly's bosses sure were nice to protect his family from those pesky sex harassment accusations, to the tune of 13 mill!
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) April 6, 2017
Looks like Bill O'Reilly's next on the scaffold, and I'm popping Champagne! Fox watchers turn a blind eye to predators; no morality at all.
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) April 4, 2017
"My my, Bill O'Reilly's bosses sure were nice to protect his family from those pesky sex harassment accusations, to the tune of 13 mill!" Better Midler wrote heading into the weekend on Twitter.
The actress and singer has not been shy about her feelings when it comes to politics, as she regulatory lashes out at Republicans, right-wing media, and Donald Trump and his administration.
Bill O'Reilly's rise was built on railing against the ethical failures of others. Now his own conduct is in question https://t.co/dCUlt87OgQ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 10, 2017
Next up
As the controversy continues to surround Bill O'Reilly, he continues to remain on the network despite calls for Fox News to fire him over the allegations and settlement.
Though O'Reilly has been viewed in a negative light by the press ever since, Donald Trump came to his defense last week, referring to his old friend as a "good man," and doubting the validity of the allegations made against him.
