Bill Maher is certainly no fan of his right-wing counterpoint, Bill O’Reilly. During his last edition of Real Time, which aired two weeks ago, the outspoken political satirist addressed The New York Times’s report that Fox News superstar Bill O’Reilly and the network had settled sexual harassment suits from five different women for $13 million.
“I mean, all these women, their stories vary a little bit,” said Maher. “The one constant is: no one wants to fuck Bill O’Reilly. That seems to be the thing! Poor Bill O’Reilly. I mean, whether he’s offering you a job or threatening the one you have, it’s never worth it to fuck Bill O’Reilly.”
This week, after The O’Reilly Factor host was effectively fired from Fox News for his numerous alleged indiscretions—receiving a reported $25 million golden parachute on his way out the door, or nearly twice as much as his alleged victims received—Maher addressed the controversy on his HBO program.
“I know what you really want me to talk about: Bill O’Reilly,” said a grinning Maher. “You’ve been following this story for a while. It has not been going well for Bill. And apparently this week, the last straw: a black woman who worked at Fox News came forward and said he used to call her ‘hot chocolate,’ which I find shocking. Fox News hired a black woman? Shocking.”
“But yeah, Bill O’Reilly. That is the end of an era,” continued the comedian. “First Lawrence Welk died, now Bill O’Reilly is gone. My question: how is the Craftmatic adjustable bed company supposed to reach its customers now?”
While Tucker Carlson, who is perhaps most famous for wearing bow ties in a past life and being served by Jon Stewart on national television, is taking over O’Reilly’s time slot, the biggest star on Fox News following the exits of O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly, Greta Van Susteren, and Gretchen Carlson (along with ex-honcho/accused serial sexual predator Roger Ailes) is Sean Hannity.
Sean Hannity: a tiny-headed, WikiLeaks-loving man who will do any and everything to please his master, Donald J. Trump.
“And now the big man at Fox News is Sean Hannity,” quipped Maher. “And amid all the troubles over there, I want you to know that Hannity remains completely free of any sex scandal—unless you count the nightly blowjob he gives to President Trump.”
Maher expanded on the O’Reilly scandal during his interview segment with Hanna Rosin, an NPR host and the author of The End of Men. The two discussed how the O’Reilly scandal ties in to our culture of toxic masculinity that’s become so damn inescapable. “Men just seem not to be able to navigate the modern world, where this world has gone,” said Maher. “I feel like there is a tragic element to Bill O’Reilly where he… couldn’t get laid in a whorehouse with a million-dollar bill. Even though he was very successful at his career, what he really wanted was a woman, any woman, ‘To like me! Like me! Just somebody like me! You don’t even have to fuck me, just like me!’ And he couldn’t. He’s a dinosaur like this.” “The only way he thought he could get laid was by threatening your job, or promising you one,” he added. “Just either a carrot or a stick as opposed to just: how about talking to a woman? Being nice to her? Maybe someone would like you, Bill, if you tried that approach.”