By now, you’ve probably heard of the United Airlines passenger who was dragged off a plane after the flight was oversold.
On Sunday, multiple passengers on the Chicago-to-Louisville flight recorded footage of a man being forcibly removed from his seat. The man screams as he’s physically pulled and lifted into the aisle by security officers. There is blood visibly coming out of his mouth as the officers drag him up the aisle.
Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, reporting about the situation on his show The O’Reilly Factor, seemed to find the incident humourous.
“I shouldn’t be laughing, but it’s just so bizarre,” O’Reilly, 67, said after watching the video.
READ MORE: Can Bill O’Reilly survive at Fox News despite massive advertiser defections?
His callous reaction comes after last weekend’s New York Times report that O’Reilly and his employer paid five women $13 million to settle harassment or other allegations of inappropriate conduct.
As a result of the report, at least 75 companies pulled their advertisements from O’Reilly’s Fox News show, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Allstate and Credit Karma, among many other notable brands.
Despite the en-masse pullout, O’Reilly’s ratings are not suffering. In fact, his show’s social ratings defeated social-media juggernauts Dancing With the Stars and The Voice. The O’Reilly Factor remains the most-watched program on cable news in the United States.
READ MORE: Advertisers continue to flee Bill O’Reilly’s show over sexual harassment allegations
O’Reilly is Fox News’ top revenue producer, according to research firm Kantar Media, bringing in over $178 million in ad dollars in 2015 and $118.6 million in the first nine months of 2016.
Fox News itself makes up one-fifth of parent company 21st Century Fox’s profit, according to estimates from Anthony DiClemete, a media analyst with the Nomura investment bank.
(Watch the video, above.)
— With files from The Associated Press
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