Bill O’Reilly, the former host of Fox’s The O’Reilly Factor, appeared on The View in October 2010, to promote his book, Pinheads and Patriots. During the show, former co-host Sherri Shepherd noted that O’Reilly would show the approval ratings of then-President Barack Obama on his show. She then asked O’Reilly if he thought the economy was the reason why Obama’s approval ratings were dropping and he said, “Of course.” He also said that he believed Obama’s approval rates fell because the president supported the proposal to build Park51, a mosque near Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 attacks. (The project was abandoned by the developer in 2011) O’Reilly called the project “inappropriate,” claiming that “a lot” of families of victims were against it. Behar stepped in and said, “This is America.” O’Reilly snapped back, “Hold it, hold it. Listen to me, because you’ll learn.” At this, audience members booed the guest, and Behar made a bunny ears gesture behind O’Reilly’s head while calling him a “pinhead.” For another guest who caused some problems, check out The Worst Late Night Guest Conan O’Brien Ever Had. Goldberg also made her own views on the mosque clear to the Fox anchor during the episode. “It is part of our constitution to say freedom of religion, freedom to worship,” Goldberg said. “And there were 70 families who are Muslim who also died in that building.” When Behar said that she was an American who agreed with Obama’s opinion on the mosque, O’Reilly cited a poll saying that “70% of Americans don’t want [it].” Behar asked him to produce the poll, which he said he would do “in a minute.” Goldberg then asked O’Reilly why Americans would find the mosque inappropriate, and O’Reilly claimed that it was because Muslims were to blame for the terrorist attacks. Goldberg said something that got bleeped out of the broadcast and noted that it was extremists who caused 9/11, not Muslims. As the argument continued, Behar stood up.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “I don’t want to sit here, I don’t,” she said. “I’m outraged.” Goldberg then got up as well and walked off of the set with Behar. For more drama that happened on set, check out Whoopi Goldberg Says This Guest Called The View Hosts an Awful Name. Barbara Walters didn’t approve of Goldberg and Behar’s decision to leave the set, which she made immediately clear. “You have just seen what should not happen,” she said to the audience. “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.” Walters turned to O’Reilly and told him that he “cannot take a whole religion and demean them.” O’Reilly then apologized to anyone who “felt like he was demeaning all Muslims.” A few minutes later, Behar and Goldberg returned to the set because of the guest’s apology. For another awkward television experience, check out Oprah Says This Was the Worst Guest She Ever Had. In November 2010, Goldberg made an appearance on The O’Reilly Factor, and they discussed his visit to The View. The daytime host told O’Reilly that she walked out of their first interview together for her own sake. “At least for me, I know that if I cross a line, which I crossed,” Goldberg said. “Because I heard myself say something I had no business saying, I knew…I had to go.” Goldberg also told O’Reilly that “phraseology [he] used” when talking about Muslims on The View implied that he was blaming everyone of that faith for the attacks. O’Reilly disagreed, but the two of them dropped the subject and carried on with their interview. Goldberg never forgot their dustup, however. In April 2017, O’Reilly was fired from Fox News after several accusations of sexual misconduct levied against him over the years became public. Afterwards, on The View, Goldberg played a clip of O’Reilly’s infamous 2010 appearance on the daytime show. She then noted that it “took [her and Behar] five minutes” to “break with Bill,” while it “took Fox 20 years.” For more celebrity and entertainment news sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Unlike Goldberg, Behar never sat down one-on-one with O’Reilly to clear the air. In fact, when speaking to comedian Judy Gold at 92Y in March 2013, Behar called him a “joke.” Behar also said that she stood by her decision to walk out on O’Reilly and that she didn’t have an interest in arguing with him, even though Walters wanted her to stay seated. “I come from a generation, where we marched, we boycotted,” she explained. “We did stuff. We didn’t just sit and talk to people, we demonstrated.” For more daytime conflicts, check out This The View Host “Doesn’t Like” Any of Her Co-Stars, Star Jones Says.
