After he was ousted from Fox News, O'Reilly's first interview was with Lauer.
Bill O’Reilly has come to the defense of fellow disgraced television host Matt Lauer.
The former Fox News host who was ousted after claims of sexual misconduct — said people shouldn't rush to judgment against Lauer or any other man accused of sexual misconduct.
“Lauer has not really said anything and it would be wrong of me to speculate,” O’Reilly said on his podcast Wednesday. “Accusations are not facts. Accusers are not automatically victims.”
Last September, O’Reilly spoke to Matt Lauer in his first interview since his ouster from Fox News months prior.
“Have you done some soul searching?" Lauer asked O'Reilly. "Have you done some self-reflection and have you looked at the way you treated women that you think now that you think about differently now than you did at the time?"
“My conscience is clear,” the embattled Fox News host declared.
Now that Lauer has faced his own sexual harassment allegations, some see the line of questioning as the height of hypocrisy.
On his podcast, O’Reilly spoke about the interview.
"I went on Today show knowing that Matt Lauer was going to ask me questions because that is what his NBC bosses wanted him to do," O'Reilly said. "Did I mind those questions? I didn't mind those questions. I got my voice heard loud and clear."
Meanwhile, Lauer has been spotted in the Hamptons handing an envelope to a lawyer, identified as Eddie Burke, Jr.
According to published reports, Lauer is seeking a $30 million settlement with NBC.
NBC News says in a statement: "We can say unequivocally that prior to Monday night, current NBC News management was never made aware of any complaints about Matt Lauer's conduct."
There is also a long-forgotten interview from 2009 that Lauer conducted with actress Sandra Bullock that some now see as cringe-worthy.
While promoting her film The Proposal on the Today show at the time, Lauer didn’t waste any time getting to the fact that she has a nude scene in the movie.
“The major thing that's changed since you were here last,” he began. “I have now seen you naked.”
“I’m so sorry about that," she joked. "Were you able to sleep afterwards?”
She appeared to take Lauer's questioning in stride as he seemed fixated on the topic.
“You're naked for most of this movie,” he claimed.
“No I’m not! I’m emotionally naked most of this movie,” she replied.
“Did I mention you have a nude scene in this movie?” Lauer continued.
“Pretty much from the time you opened your mouth,” she fired back.
When he asked her to “come back more often,” she joked, “Not after this interview.”
After the interview, Bullock said she received flowers from Lauer, which she joked about on subsequent visits to the show.
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