Bill O’Reilly was the interviewee rather than interviewer on Tuesday when he visited David Letterman on CBS’s the “Late Show” Tuesday and was quizzed about Brian Williams‘ fabricated story controversy.
“We have a sport in the United States called ‘lets destroy the famous person,’ and that’s what happened to him,” the Fox News Channel anchor told Letterman.
“I think the NBC should bring him back. I think they will bring him back.”
The late-night host then compared Williams’ six-month suspension from NBC News for exaggerating a story of being on a helicopter shot down by RPG fire in Iraq in 2003 to criticism of O’Reilly’s 1982 Falklands War claims.
“When this came out, people said that Bill O’Reilly himself might have said things that were exaggerated and untruths and they had to go back 30 years … 38 years to the Falklands War,” Letterman said. “Was there a difference?”
“Only if I did something that wasn’t true, and what I did was accurate so we had a controversy there,” O’Reilly said. “I put forth what my side was, and they put forth what their side was, and folks decided. And it worked out OK for me — I got even more viewers,” he said, revealing that ratings went “20 percent up.”
When asked if he ever fibbed on the air, he replied: “What I do is analysis, so it never comes down to that.”
“Trust is the residue of both positions,” Letterman said, comparing the two anchors. “So people must trust you to the same degree that they trust Brian Williams.”
“I’ve been on the air for 19 seasons now, 15 years at number one, our ratings are now as high as they have ever been — so I think they do trust me,” he said.
“The Late Show With David Letterman” airs nightly on CBS at 11.35 p.m.
David Letterman: 13 Potential 'Late Show' Replacements (Photos)
Chelsea Handler Handler may be leaving "Chelsea Lately" when her contract at E! expires. She could be the first woman since Joan Rivers to host a late-night show on a broadcast network.
Craig Ferguson The "Late Late Show" host has followed Letterman for years and would be a natural successor to the spot. Plus, his contract may have a right of first refusal clause that would give him first dibs on the gig.
Jay Leno Leno would seem an especially bright prospect for CBS because he retired from “Tonight” on top. And CBS, with the oldest viewers in broadcast TV, may not be as fixated on youth as NBC was when it replaced Leno with new "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon.
Conan O'Brien O'Brien is in the fourth year of a five-year contract with TBS, the home of his new show, “Conan.” Of course, if he were in the running alongside Leno, it could be another ugly new "Conan vs. Jay" battle, this time at CBS.
Ellen DeGeneres The super successful daytime host became the subject of the #DraftEllen campaign on Twitter just minutes after Letterman's announcement. She's affable and universally well-liked, especially if this year's Oscar ratings are any indication.
Jon Stewart Stewart has hosted "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central
Stephen Colbert Like his 11 p.m. lead-in Stewart, Colbert has connected with audiences with his right-wing act on "Colbert Report." The question is whether that conservative character would come with him to network TV -- and if not, would people care about Colbert as himself?
Louis C.K. A three-part episode of FX's "Louie" imagined what a race for the "Late Show" gig between himself, Chris Rock, and wild card Jerry Seinfeld. Frankly, we could picture the Emmy Award winner in the host's chair.
Chris Rock Also in the "Louie" episode, Rock has hosting experience at the Academy Awards and produced FX's "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell" in 2012.
Wild Card: Jerry Seinfeld The standup comedian has been dabbling here and there since his seminal self-titled NBC series ended in 1998. A choice of Seinfeld would be out of left field for CBS and perhaps what it needs to shake up late night.
Wild Card: Rosie O'Donnell The former daytime talk show host recently resurfaced on ABC's "The View," and her edgier tone could translate to the post-primetime crowd.
Wild Card: Mo'Nique The Oscar-winning actress hosted a late-night talk show on BET for two years in 2009, and the choice of a woman of color on a network late night show would be a huge change.
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TheWrap picks the 10 possible replacements — and three wild card options — after Letterman retires in 2015
Chelsea Handler Handler may be leaving "Chelsea Lately" when her contract at E! expires. She could be the first woman since Joan Rivers to host a late-night show on a broadcast network.
