California Congresswoman Maxine Waters was an outspoken opponent of Donald Trump well before he was inaugurated, and in a recent speech on the House floor, Waters explained why she was motivated to fight his agenda.
“We stand up for America oftentimes when others who think they are more patriotic, who say they are more patriotic, do not,” she said. “When we fight against this president, and we point out how dangerous he is for this society and for this country, we’re fighting for the democracy.”
But Fox News host Bill O’Reilly didn’t hear a word of Waters’ speech — he was too busy staring at her hair. “I was looking at the James Brown wig,” O’Reilly told the hosts of Fox & Friends on Tuesday. “If we have a picture of James Brown, it’s the same one.”
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt defended Waters: “You can’t go after a woman’s looks,” she pointed out. But O’Reilly didn’t back down. “I didn’t say she wasn’t attractive,” he said. “I love James Brown!” He proceeded to invite Waters to appear on his show, The O’Reilly Factor, although it’s unclear how they’ll hold a conversation if he’s too busy mocking her hair to listen to what’s coming out of her mouth.
This isn’t the first time a Fox News host has made an incredibly offensive remark to Congresswoman Waters – back in 2012, Eric Bolling told her to “step away from the crack pipe.”
In response to the backlash, O’Reilly issued the following statement:
As I have said many times, I respect Congresswoman Maxine Waters for being sincere in her beliefs. I said that again today on Fox & Friends calling her ‘old school.’ Unfortunately, I also made a jest about her hair which was dumb. I apologize.
According to a Fox News spokesperson, he’ll address his comments on tonight’s edition of The O’Reilly Factor.
This post has been updated with a statement from Bill O’Reilly.
