Bill O'Reilly is a pot-stirrer. He always has been. And he's made an absolute fortune by doing it on his former Fox News Show. Prior to his ugly and ongoing lawsuits surrounding the horrendous allegations leveled at him, Bill was one of the biggest names in conservative media. Shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The View loved booking him because he offered a fiery contrasting opinion to their more left-leaning politics.
Bill was a fighter. He was loud, bombastic, and extremely quick on his feet. Therefore, he made for excellent entertainment. But on one occasion, he pushed things way too far and caused two of The View's co-hosts to walk off in protest. Here's what happened...
Who Walked Off The Set Of The View?
The View has never been without its feuds and controversies. The audience eats it up which is likely the main reason they watch the show in the first place. It's why radio legend Howard Stern called The View "ridiculous". It's not a good place to get your news, but it is a great place to see people verbally duke it out or make outlandish comments. Most recently, View co-host Whoopi Goldberg stepped in it big time when she said inaccurate and borderline antisemitic comments about the Holocaust. It was a comment that would have caused numerous people to get up and walk off... just like she once did to Bill O'Reilly.
In 2010, Whoopi Goldberg, along with Joy Behar, got up and walked off the set after Bill O'Reilly made some offensive comments they didn't like. While it came across as a big protest moment, Whoopi and Joy eventually returned to their seats.
- Bill O'Reilly continued to be a semi-regular guest on The View after his incident with Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar.
- Bill O'Reilly vowed never to return to The View after Joy Behar made critical comments about former President Donald Trump in 2016.
The View's head-honcho, Barbara Walters, was extremely upset about Joy and Whoopi leaving mid-interview. She even called out her colleagues live on-air for what they did. Even though Barbara also disagreed with what Bill said, she knew it was better to sit and discuss than to storm away.
What Did Bill O'Reilly Say On The View?
Bill O'Reilly went on The View in October 2010 to promote his ninth book, "Pinheads and Patriots". As soon as he walked out, there was obvious tension in the room. Aside from former conservative co-host, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Bill had previously spared with every other member of The View. So, the reception was cold, especially from Whoopi. This is something Bill decided to call out as soon as he sat down...
"Every time I come out here, she sits there,' How did this happen?'", Bill said mockingly.
"Bill, I have a case of gas, that's all that's wrong with me. It's not you," Whoopi joked.
After talking about the mid-term elections, Bill made the comment that not only angered numerous viewers at home but caused both Whoopi and Joy to get up out of their seats and storm off. They were talking about the potential development of Park51, a Muslim community center that included a mosque, two blocks away from ground zero in New York City. In 2010, it was a hot-button issue because former President Barack Obama publicly supported the plans.
"Sure, they have a right to [build it]. And the constitution [supports it]. But it's inappropriate because a lot of the 9/11 families who I know say, 'Look, I don't want that. That shouldn't be there,'" Bill claimed.
"This is America.," Joy Behar yelled back. "This is America!"
"Hold it, hold it -- listen to me, because you'll learn something," Bill said, immediately receiving boos from the audience. But in typical Bill O'Reilly fashion, he plowed through the undeniable verbal displeasure. He continued to bash President Obama's backing of Park51 and even claimed that "70 percent of Americans don't want that mosque down there."
"Where's that poll?" Joy retorted.
Bill pushed on again, claiming that building a mosque near the site of the horrific September 11th attacks was "inappropriate".
"Why is it inappropriate?" Whoopi asked, clearly becoming angry. "70 [Muslim] families died [on September 11th]."
"Because Muslims killed us on 9/11."
"NO! Oh my God! That is such bull****," Whoopi screamed.
"Muslims didn't kill us on 9/11? Is that what you're saying?"
"Extremists! Excuse me! Extremists did that!"
By this point, everyone was screaming at each other. But Joy could be heard saying, "I don't want to sit here. I don't!". She swiftly got up, with Whoopi in tow, and stormed off the set mid-segment.
Barbara was clearly irate and immediately addressed the audience by saying, "What you've jsut witnessed is what should not happen. We should be able to have discussions without washing our hands and screaming and walking off-stage. I love my colleagues, but that should not have happened."
Then the former View lead co-host turned to Bill and said, "Now let me just turn to you. It was extremists. You cannot say that it was a whole religion and demean them because of what some---"
"I'm not demeaning anybody--"
"Yes you are!"
"No, I'm not."
By this time, even Elisabeth Hasselbeck was trying to get Bill to clarify his comments and be more specific with his language. While still hammering down on the issue, Bill gave a quasi-apology which caused Joy and Whoopi to return to the stage.
The whole thing was an utter mess, according to fans. It was offensive. It was immature. But it was damn good television.