Bill O’Reilly’s flip remark about Rep. Maxine Waters’ “James Brown wig” has Twitter calling for his scalp. It also brought him grief from Hillary Clinton and the fiery black Democrat from California herself.
It started when Waters earlier this week said criticizing President Donald Trump was patriotic, reported USA Today.
“We fight against this president and we point out how dangerous he is,” Waters said on the House floor. “We’re fighting for democracy. We’re fighting for America. We’re saying to those who say they’re patriotic, but they turn a blind eye to the destruction he is about to cause to this country. You are not nearly as patriotic as we are.”
When asked what he thought of Waters' comment, O’Reilly bypassed the subject completely and said, “I didn’t hear a word she said. I was looking at the James Brown wig.”
Waters responded to O’Reilly’s jab on MSNBC, noted the Huffington Post.
“I am a strong black woman, and I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined,” she told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. “I cannot be thought to be afraid of Bill O’Reilly or anybody.”
“And I’d like to say women out there everywhere: Don’t allow these right-wing talking heads, these dishonorable people, to intimidate you or scare you. Be who you are. Do what you do. And let us get on with discussing the real issues of this county.”
Clinton chimed in during a speech in San Francisco, using Waters as an example of how women experience sexism in the workplace.
“Just look at all that’s happened in the last few days to women who were simply doing their job,” she said, per the Huffington Post. “…One of your own California congresswomen, Maxine Waters, was taunted with a racist joke about her hair.”
“Now too many women, especially women of color, have had a lifetime of practice taking precisely these kinds of indignities in stride,” Clinton added. “But why should we have to?”
Waters may have responded to O’Reilly’s remarks in a mild-mannered way, but Twitter users were furious.
O'Reilly later said his remark about Waters' hair was dumb.
"I apologize," he said in a statement. "... as I have said many times, I respect Congresswoman Maxine Waters for being sincere in her beliefs."
At the time of his remark, O'Reilly was appearing on "Fox & Friends" when a clip was shown of Waters speaking. O'Reilly, as he watched, appeared to mouth the words "right on" and give a clenched-fist salute.
After his remark, Fox's Ainsley Earhardt defended Waters, saying O'Reilly shouldn't go after a woman's looks.