O'Reilly on Fox News vice president Neil Cavuto: "I think he is a demented guy"

On the February 1 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly brushed aside criticism of Fox News' propensity to air images of scantily clad women, saying of fellow Fox News anchor and vice president of business Neil Cavuto's frequent airing of racy images: "I don't have anything to do with Cavuto. I think he is a demented guy."

During the discussion, nationally syndicated radio host Laura Ingraham noted Fox News' "constant" use of video depicting scantily clad women as part of its news reports, and stated: "I don't know if there's a rampant midlife crisis going on on this network among the male anchors, but I can tell you that my female listeners are saying ... what is the purpose? ... You can talk about cultural issues and cultural debates without running the constant loop of this video." Ingraham further asked O'Reilly: "[W]hy did you do the story about the naked parties at Yale. Do you think that's really a cultural phenomenon that a T-warrior needs to fight against?" After correcting Ingraham that the "naked parties" had taken place at Brown University, O'Reilly explained that he aired the report because "student activity fees were being used to fuel an orgy," and that he aired the video of the party "[t]o show people what happened at Brown." Ingraham countered: "You don't think people know what a nude party would look like? You had to see it?" O'Reilly responded: "I had to. I didn't know." The segment concluded with O'Reilly vowing, "No more bikinis! They're over," and promising to "[n]ever again" air images of, in Ingraham's words, women with "hands over the boobs."

As Media Matters for America has repeatedly noted (here, here, here, and here), Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto has frequently aired photos and videos of scantily clad women and has featured segments and interviews with Hooters girls, strippers, Playboy models, Playboy founder and CEO Hugh Hefner, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis, and many others.

From the February 1 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: They say, look, nature screwed up. It should be, you know, everybody in a free-fire zone. Now, I understand -- I did not hear this, so correct me if I'm wrong -- on your program, you had people giving Fox News jazz because we used --

INGRAHAM: Intervention time, Bill. Here we go again.

O'REILLY: -- cheesecake video, right?

INGRAHAM: What is the purpose of your running the continuous loop -- are we going to run the B roll of this? This is what I am talking about. What is --

O'REILLY: We ran it last night for cosmetic surgery.

INGRAHAM: Here is what I'm saying.

O'REILLY: Cosmetic surgery.

INGRAHAM: I don't know if there's a rampant mid-life crisis going on on this network among the male anchors. But I can tell you that my female listeners are basically saying you can make these debates -- have these debates. Are we having more? This is what I mean! What is the purpose? We don't care about the coffee shop babes with their bikinis. OK?

You can talk about cultural issues and cultural debates without running the constant loop of this video.

O'REILLY: I'm putting you in charge now.

INGRAHAM: It's ridiculous.

O'REILLY: You're in charge of the Fox News Channel.

INGRAHAM: Yeah right. You'd get better demos with me, Bill.

O'REILLY: We do a story like we did last night on cosmetic surgery. OK? Women enhancing themselves. You say no video of that. Correct?

INGRAHAM: No, you are trying to make --

O'REILLY: No, I'm saying this is the truth. That's why we used it.

INGRAHAM: Bill, why did you do the story about the naked parties at Yale. Do you think that's really a cultural phenomenon that a T-warrior needs to fight against?

O'REILLY: It was at Brown.

INGRAHAM: Wherever.

O'REILLY: Student activity fees were being used to fuel an orgy.

INGRAHAM: Why did you run the video? Why?

O'REILLY: To show people what happened at Brown.

INGRAHAM: You don't think people know what a nude party would look like? You had to see it?

O'REILLY: I don't think so. I had to. I didn't know.

INGRAHAM: Why did your pal Cavuto, who I like very much --

O'REILLY: And nobody was naked, by the way.

INGRAHAM: Why did you run the video, during Cavuto, of, you know, the guy who came up with the Girls Gone Wild franchise?

O'REILLY: I don't have anything to do with Cavuto. I think he is a demented guy.

INGRAHAM: I like Neil Cavuto. But the point is, it's really started to creep into the Fox programming.

O'REILLY: I just want to get this clear. You, Laura Ingraham, no video of cosmetic surgery or anything. None.

INGRAHAM: No. You can talk about an issue without training the camera on a particular --

O'REILLY: I didn't shoot those shots.

INGRAHAM: You know what also I find interesting? All the women also wanted to know this. Where did all the segments about the Playgirl, you know, issues out there? Where are all the men? Where are all the male enhancements?

O'REILLY: I don't know anything about those stories. I don't know. I'm confused.

INGRAHAM: Why are those photos all of women? You say is you are a T-warrior, right? You're a T-warrior.

O'REILLY: I am.

INGRAHAM: Then act like one and stop playing this video.

O'REILLY: No more bikinis! They're over.

INGRAHAM: How about the hands over the boobs.

O'REILLY: No hands! No anything!

INGRAHAM: You don't want to hear me, Bill, but you should hear me, because people are tired of it.

O'REILLY: Never again. We'll be right back with Dick Morris.

—J.M.