Bill O’Reilly, former Fox News host, suggested Wednesday that Comcast is distancing itself from MSNBC to protect NBC News’ reputation and ratings. O’Reilly’s comments came after Comcast announced a plan to spin off several cable networks, including the left-leaning MSNBC, which hosts well-known personalities like Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, and Chris Hayes. The Wall Street Journal initially reported the move.
O’Reilly alleged that the recent visit of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” hosts, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, to President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was not a coincidence. According to O’Reilly, Comcast executives ordered the pair to meet Trump ahead of the announcement, hoping to smooth relations. “They were ordered to go to Mar-a-Lago by Comcast,” O’Reilly said during an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo, adding that the visit was a calculated effort to “mend fences” before the network spin-off was revealed.
However, O’Reilly contradicted reports of a spinoff, asserting that MSNBC’s future is more uncertain. He claimed that NBC News wants to separate itself from MSNBC due to the damage it believes the network’s hard-left slant has done to its brand. NBC News, he said, is desperate to salvage its viewership after major programs like Lester Holt’s nightly news and “The TODAY Show” suffered from their association with MSNBC’s progressive commentary.
“They’re not gonna be able to pay these people millions of dollars,” O’Reilly said, referencing MSNBC’s high-profile hosts. “NBC News is saying, ‘We don’t want you around.’” O’Reilly suggested that Comcast is seeking a buyer for MSNBC and implied the network could be sold for a bargain. He went as far as to speculate that George Soros, known for funding liberal media initiatives, might be a potential buyer.
O’Reilly emphasized that Comcast’s decision is not solely about MSNBC’s liberal leanings, but what he called its “hateful” tone, particularly towards Trump and his supporters. He stated that NBC and Comcast’s leadership are far left politically, yet are choosing to cut ties with MSNBC due to its perceived antagonism.
O’Reilly also predicted that the fallout would not stop with MSNBC. He suggested that ABC News could soon face a similar reckoning with its daytime talk show “The View.” He cited a recent incident where co-host Sunny Hostin was compelled to read a legal statement on-air, which O’Reilly interpreted as a sign that ABC News is also under pressure to rein in outspoken personalities.
According to O’Reilly, the shifting media landscape spells trouble for left-leaning networks, which he declared “done, never coming back.” He suggested that CNN might capture some of MSNBC’s audience, but emphasized that all these changes signal a major shift in American media as more viewers turn away from traditional networks.
