Today hosted O'Reilly again despite smearing war opponents in last appearance

Written by Sam Gill

Published

For the third time in just over three months, Bill O'Reilly appeared on NBC's Today despite the fact that, in his previous appearance on the show, he compared those who support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq to Hitler appeasers.


Fox News host Bill O'Reilly appeared on the January 24 edition of NBC's Today -- his third appearance on the show in just over three months -- despite the fact that, in his previous Today interview, he compared those who advocate for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq to Hitler appeasers. Today also continues to provide airtime for O'Reilly's comments about the award-winning film Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features, 2005), the topic du jour in O'Reilly's so-called "culture war."

As Media Matters for America previously noted, on the November 30, 2005, edition of Today, O'Reilly labeled as “pinheads” those who advocate for the United States to end its military presence in Iraq and alleged that these “are the same people before Hitler invaded in World War II that were saying, 'Ah, he's not such a bad guy.' ” During that same segment, O'Reilly discussed his much-publicized crusade against the so-called "war" on Christmas.

Such comments apparently earned O'Reilly another ticket to Today. When Today co-host Matt Lauer interviewed O'Reilly on January 24, the onscreen text read: “No Spin Zone: Culture War Rages On.” Lauer asked O'Reilly about Brokeback Mountain, which tells the story of a romantic relationship between two men. O'Reilly has devoted considerable attention to it, even though he has acknowledged that he is not interested in actually seeing the film. O'Reilly has contended that the film has garnered critical praise because the media “want to mainstream homosexual conduct.”

From the January 24 edition of NBC's Today:

LAUER: So, O'Reilly, have you seen it [Brokeback Mountain]? Should it get the Oscar for best picture of the year?

O'REILLY: I'm afraid of cowboys. I'm from Long Island. I'm afraid of all cowboys. And gay cowboys? I mean, I don't -- I don't get the whole shepherd-cowboy-pup tent connection. I'm not getting all of that stuff. So, you know, I'm a simple guy. I get King Kong [Universal Studios, 2005]. He's a big gorilla. I get him. All right? This other stuff, a little over my head, and it's in subtitles, isn't it? Cowboy subtitles?