Colbert's satirical character based on O'Reilly makes a special return for the recent episode of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', bidding an emotional farewell to his favorite public figure.
- Apr 20, 2017
AceShowbiz - In the wake of Bill O'Reilly's dismissal from Fox News over a series of sexual harassment accusations, Stephen Colbert's conservative pundit persona based on the "The O'Reilly Factor" host made a special return in Wednesday, April 19 episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert". The alter-ego of Colbert voiced his opinion about the dismissal which was surely different from mainstream's opinion.
O'Reilly's biggest fan conservative pundit Colbert expressed his anger towards the entire citizens of the U.S. "Hello nation! Shame on you. You failed Bill O'Reilly. You didn't deserve this great man," Colbert's alter ego said. "All he ever did was have your back-and if you're a woman, you know, have a go at the front too," he said, taking a jab at O'Reilly's sexual harassment scandal.
Also tonight! Conservative pundit 'Stephen Colbert' reacts to #BillOReilly's dismissal from Fox News. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/p8IJtmKBcn
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) April 20, 2017
"And what? Suddenly sexual harassment is a crime? But that's the country we live in now," he said, before adding, "I guess I always knew this day would come. When I first saw Bill on TV, I knew no one could possibly sustain such a broad character for that long." He later couldn't contain his sadness as he emotionally bid final and fond farewell to O'Reilly, "Stray strong, Papa Bear. Oh God, this is really happening."
The actual Colbert also said goodbye to the recently fired host. "Bill and I did not see eye to eye on… anything," he said, though he confessed that he once stole O'Reilly's mic. "But he's been a guest on this show and I take no pleasure in his downfall, okay? I'm not going to sit here and publicly gloat."
Tonight! Late Show host Stephen Colbert reacts to #BillOReilly's dismissal from Fox News. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/4pAIBJ9aGJ
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) April 20, 2017
"O'Reilly has been accused of sexual harassment for years," Colbert noted. He added, "Just yesterday, an African American woman at Fox came forward claiming O'Reilly used to leer at her and call her 'hot chocolate.' " Colbert went on saying, "I know what you're saying: 'That's really sexist,' Yeah. But remember, it's also pretty racist."
He also addressed O'Reilly's sudden vacation amid the scandal as well as the photo in which O'Reilly was spotted shaking hands with the pope. Colbert joked that things were going great until O'Reilly called him "white chocolate." Colbert also noted that in Fox News' statement over O'Reilly's dismissal, they still praised the former host. The statement read, "By ratings standards, Bill O’Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news," to which Colbert agreed at some point.
Colbert later offered another perspective to perceive O'Reilly, "By moral standards, he was a self-righteous landfill of angry garbage." At the end of his monologue, Colbert sarcastically noted, "In case you're a fan of sexual harassers who are on TV all the time, you still have Donald Trump."
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" airs weeknights at 11:35 P.M. ET on CBS.
