Hill began her report by declaring: "When Barbara Walters introduced the conservative talk show host on 'The View' Thursday, she ignited a major fuse, turning daytime TV into dynamite." Hill described how O'Reilly's statement that "Muslims killed us on 9/11" caused left-wing hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg to walk off the set. Once she concluded her piece, Smith said of O'Reilly: "He loves all this attention." Hill replied "he thrives on it." Smith added: "He was so happy to see their reactions to him."
Fellow co-host Maggie Rodriguez criticized Behar and Goldberg for walking off: "...it can be very hard to keep your emotions in check when a guest says something that you don't agree with, but you don't walk off, you sit there and you challenge them with information, you bring up the counterpoint." She concluded: "...their show is called 'The View,' they should accept all points of view."
Smith then threw out the "bloviator-in-chief" label and offered some advice on how to handle O'Reilly: "...he's been on the show bunches and bunches of times, and he's not a guy you particularly go head to head with....he wants to get under your skin. If you're going to come back at him you need to figure out how to do the same thing."
Apparently Smith used that tactic during an April 14, 2009 interview with the FNC host, when he snarkily asked O'Reilly: "Couldn’t hold a job at any other place?...Is this the longest continuous employment you have ever had?"
Here is a full transcript of the October 15 segment:
7:30AM ET SEGMENT:
SMITH: First, we want to take a look at a little walking episode on 'The View' yesterday.
RODRIGUEZ: Good one.
SMITH: Two of the hosts walked off the set when the conversation got a little heated. Erica Hill along with us this morning with the story. Good morning.
ERICA HILL: Some walking, some huffing and puffing, although I don't think it's from the brisk walking. It was really a little bit of a battle yesterday. Fox News's Bill O'Reilly was the guest and it didn't take long before the sparks began to fly between him and some of the most liberal co-hosts.
BARBARA WALTERS: Please welcome Bill O'Reilly.
HILL: When Barbara Walters introduced the conservative talk show host on 'The View' Thursday, she ignited a major fuse, turning daytime TV into dynamite.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Daytime Drama; O'Reilly Causes Set Walk-Off on 'The View']
JOY BEHAR: This is America-
BILL O'REILLY: Hold it. Hold it. Listen to me, because you'll learn, alright? Thank you.
HILL: The explosive topic, the controversial Islamic cultural center planned near Ground Zero in New York City.
JOY BEHAR: I'm an American.
O'REILLY: Let me break this you to, 70% of Americans don't want that mosque down there. So, don't give me the 'we' business.
BEHAR: Where's that poll? Where's that poll? I want to see that poll.
O'REILLY: You want to bet on that? You want to bet? I'll show you that poll in a minute.
BEHAR: All I'm saying is I'm American, too.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: 70% of Americans don't want-
O'REILLY: 70% don't want it down there.
GOLDBERG: But why is that? Bill, why are we saying-
O'REILLY: Because it's inappropriate.
GOLDBERG: Why is it inappropriate?
O'REILLY: Because Muslims killed us on 9/11!
GOLDBERG: No. Oh, my god! That is [bleep].
O'REILLY: Muslims didn't kill us on 9/11, is that what you're saying?
GOLDBERG: Extremists. Excuse me, extremists did that.
O'REILLY: What religion were they in?
WALTERS: Doesn't matter what they are-
GOLDBERG: What religion was Mr. McVeigh? Mr. McVeigh was an extremist as well and he killed people. What the hell?!
O'REILLY: I'm telling you, 70% of the country-
BEHAR: I don't want to sit here.
O'REILLY: Go.
BEHAR: I don't.
O'REILLY: Go.
BEHAR: I'm outraged by that statement.
O'REILLY: You're outraged about 'Muslims killing us on 9/11'?
HILL: The dispute led to co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg walking off their own show, leaving Walters to defuse the situation.
WALTERS: You have just seen what should not happen.
HILL: And Walters addressed both her co-hosts and O'Reilly.
WALTERS: Now, let me just say to you in a calmer voice-
O'REILLY: Sure.
WALTERS: It was extremists. You cannot take a whole religion and demean them because-
O'REILLY: I'm not demeaning anybody.
WALTERS: Yes, you are.
HILL: Goldberg and Behar did return after O'Reilly apologized, but the story didn't end there.
O'REILLY: I loved that exposition today. Didn't you?
HILL: On O'Reilly's prime-time show on Fox News, the incident was a major topic all night.
ALICIA MENENDEZ [SENIOR ADVISOR, NDN]: You see how that might be condescending?
O'REILLY: A little bit.
MENENDEZ: That's good, that's a good admission.
O'REILLY: But you know, I am often offensive. I think everyone knows that.
HILL: And on her HLN show, Behar wasn't about to let it go, either.
BEHAR: Today on 'The View,' Bill O'Reilly had a real pinhead moment.
HILL: A moment viewers won't soon forget.
O'REILLY: You're outraged about 'Muslims killed us on 9/11'?
HILL: He uses that term 'pinhead' a lot and he was also on 'The View' promoting his book, which is called 'Pinheads and Patriots.'
SMITH: He loves all this attention.
HILL: This is – he thrives on it. And you know what? It brings great attention to his show, great attention to 'The View,' so for all of them-
RODRIGUEZ: It worked out for everybody.
HILL: There you go.
RODRIGUEZ: You know, we anchor live TV for two hours and it can be very hard to keep your emotions in check when a guest says something that you don't agree with, but you don't walk off, you sit there and you challenge them with information, you bring up the counterpoint. Maybe they have a little more leeway because it's not a news show, but their show is called 'The View,' they should accept all points of view.
SMITH: He is the bloviater-in-chief, though, and he was in full bloviation mode yesterday.
RODRIGUEZ: He loved it.
SMITH: He was so happy to see their reactions to him. And so, I think in a situation like – he's been on the show bunches and bunches of times, and he's not a guy you particularly go head to head with.
HILL: No, and you know what you're getting, too.
SMITH: Well, he wants to get under your skin. If you're going to come back at him you need to figure out how to do the same thing.
HILL: There you go, advice from Harry Smith.
SMITH: Yeah, there you go.
