Fox News hosts Brit Hume and Bill O'Reilly recently turned their attention to their female co-hosts, remarking on their appearance, with O'Reilly asking the co-host of his nationally syndicated radio show, Lis Wiehl, to protest outside CBS studios in a bikini. Hume, appearing on Fox News' DaySide, told co-host Juliet Huddy that he dressed up for just for her, stating: “One more chance for a man my age to be on with Juliet Huddy.”
On the October 26 broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor, O'Reilly, “outraged” at a recent CBS News poll on border control, asked female co-host, Lis Wiehl, to protest CBS clad in a bikini. O'Reilly first asked Wiehl -- an author, Harvard trained law professor, and Fox News legal analyst -- to stand outside CBS News with a sign. He then said that “just you with the sign may not do it.” When Wiehl asked, “What should I do?” O'Reilly simply replied, “Bikini.” Wiehl resisted, and O'Reilly questioned her, asking, “Don't you love your country?” and “Don't you want fairness in the media?” before positing definitively that “there's no other way.”
This is not the first time O'Reilly has commented on Wiehl's physical appearance, as Media Matters has previously reported. On the June 21, 2004, broadcast of The Radio Factor, O'Reilly called Wiehl “eye candy” and told her, “You're here because you're good-looking, so I got somebody to look over.”
Hume's adventures involve Fox News' DaySide co-host Juliet Huddy. Appearing on DaySide in his capacity as Fox News Washington managing editor, Hume has opened several segments with comments concerning Huddy. On the October 10 edition of the show, he thanked Huddy for having him and said, “Thank you, Juliet. I'm surprised with your apparent aversion to older men. ... Why wouldn't you have this interview done by Mike [Jerrick, co-host]? I mean, look, he's way younger than I am.” Later that week, on October 14, Hume explained his clothing choices to Huddy:
HUME: I've got one of my new suits on here, and I've got one of my favorite ties. You probably had the idea this was because I was having an interview with the vice president. Not so. One more chance for a man my age to be on with Juliet Huddy.
Finally, he refused to answer Huddy's questions on the October 26 DaySide until she would show him her boots, exclaiming when he saw them, “My goodness gracious!”
From the October 26 broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:
O'REILLY: All right, I want you to go in front of CBS News this afternoon after The Radio Factor --
WIEHL: Yes.
O'REILLY: OK. I want you to get a sign.
WIEHL: A sign.
O'REILLY: Right. And I want you to go, “I am outraged at this poll.” OK?
WIEHL: OK.
O'REILLY: Get Lis Wiehl a car, please.
WIEHL: [laughing]
O'REILLY: Order it right now. Can somebody make the sign?
WIEHL: [laughing] I'll do it with crayons.
O'REILLY: Now I think to get attention --
WIEHL: Yes --
O'REILLY: Because you'll be by yourself. And just you with the sign may not do it.
WIEHL: No. So what should I do?
O'REILLY: Bikini.
WIEHL: Oh, no.
O'REILLY: Come on.
WIEHL: That's going too far to protest.
O'REILLY: Why? Why?
WIEHL: That's too far to protest.
O'REILLY: Don't you love your country?
WIEHL: Yes.
O'REILLY: Don't you want fairness in the media?
WIEHL: I do.
O'REILLY: Get Lis the outfit.
WIEHL: [laughing] But there must --
O'REILLY: Come on.
WIEHL: There must be --
O'REILLY: No, there's no other way.
WIEHL: Got to draw the line.
O'REILLY: No, if you do it that way in a bikini, 'cause it's like 50 degrees here.
WIEHL: [laughing] That will be great.
O'REILLY: Yeah.
WIEHL: I'll turn blue.
O'REILLY: No, but you'll get coverage.
From the October 10 edition of Fox News' DaySide:
HUDDY: We're grateful to have you here Mr. Hume. Um, very quickly, we haven't heard --
HUME: Thank you, Juliet. I'm surprised with your apparent aversion to older men, I can't imagine why --
JERRICK: Thank you, Brit. Thank you, Brit.
HUDDY: Hey now, we're not going to talk about my personal life.
HUME: Why wouldn't you have this interview done by Mike? I mean, look, he's way younger than I am. But Juliet, I mean --
HUDDY: Please, no he's not, Brit. Trust me. I'm trying to change my ways.
JERRICK: Try to get through it, Juliet --HUDDY: All right, I will, I will, with two older men. What am I going to do?
From the October 14 edition of DaySide:
HUDDY: Washington managing editor Brit Hume sat down with this exclusive interview with the vice president.
JERRICK: Put up a big graphic or something.
HUDDY: Good to see you, Brit.
HUME: It's nice to see you, Juliet. Think of this, this is twice in one week, a man my age twice in one week on with Juliet. How do you know, Mike? Do you see, look, I've got one of my new suits on here, and I've got one of my favorite ties. You probably had the idea this was because I was having an interview with the vice president. Not so. One more chance for a man my age to be on with Juliet Huddy.
HUDDY: I'm blushing, jeez. My, my, my.
JERRICK: I'll tell what you, Brit. She has balanced out working with you and I with dating even younger men.
HUDDY: Hey, cut it out. Let's not talk about my personal life now.
From the October 26 edition of DaySide:
HUDDY: But we want to go to Brit Hume now, down in Washington, Fox's Washington managing editor, of course, talking more about what's happening down in Washington, what Megyn [Kendall, Fox News reporter] was just reporting on. Brit, good to see you, sir.
HUME: Well, thank you, Juliet. I just want to thank you also for putting President Bush in there between Megyn and me. Because Mike, I'm sure sympathizes with me on this. It's hard enough to have to be contrasted with Juliet. I don't have my black turtleneck on today or any of the things I had planned to wear next time I was going to be on this show. I was going to try to look right for the part. And I'm looking at this thing and I'm saying, Mike, not only do we have Juliet there, we've got Megyn Kendall, and you and I have got to deal with that. I mean, we have no chance!
JERRICK: Brit, it is a visual nightmare, I agree with you. And if you could see her --
HUME: It's hard on the audience.
JERRICK: Oh, it's rough. You should see her boots that she has. That's a whole 'nother story.HUDDY: All right, let's get --
HUME: Oh, wait a minute, I'm not saying --
JERRICK: The audience loves the boots.
HUDDY: Oh, brother.
HUME: I'm not answering -- I'm not answering another question --
HUDDY: Thank you very much, Brit, for steering the conversation. I have Mike with me all day long. I don't need you to add to the problems.
HUME: Juliet, I'm not answering any questions until I get to see the boots.
HUDDY: Oh no! Come on!
JERRICK: Thank you, there they are.
HUDDY: Jeez!
HUME: My goodness gracious!
HUDDY: Brit!