After Settlement, Allegations Continue to Dog Bill O’Reilly

Conservative talk-show host Bill O’Reilly is eager to put a recent high-profile sexual harassment charge behind him. But not everyone is willing to let the story drop. When the Fox personality showed up at an East Orange, NJ book signing, one fan demonstrated his outrage in a most unusual way: he came to the event dressed as a giant loofah mitt. Meanwhile, some of the Fox personality’s most ardent fans have found in their hero’s sexploits a source of inspiration.

Some fans turn off ‘The Factor’; others seem turned on

By Deanna Swift

EAST ORANGE, NJ—Listen to Bill O’Reilly’s popular mid-day radio show or tune into his nightly “O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel, and you would probably never know that the conservative media personality recently settled a high-profile sexual harassment suit with his former producer. After all, O’Reilly, who referred to the sex suit’s two-week stint in the news as a “brutal ordeal,” never mentions it on the air. Nor does he refer to Andrea Mackris, the suit’s author, who has since been served termination papers by Fox News. And never, ever does the man whose name is synonymous with “no spin” refer to the steamy phone conversations that landed him in the gossip columns in the first place.

But while O’Reilly’s fans are legion—his TV show attracted as many as 3.5 million viewers a night during the sexual harassment showdown—not everyone is willing to let the incident drop. When the conservative talk-show host made an appearance at an East Orange, NJ bookstore on a recent weeknight to promote his new children’s book, The O’Reilly Factor for Kids, one audience member made certain that he would catch O’Reilly’s attention: he came to the event dressed as a long-handled loofah mitt, a reference to an x-rated monologue that appeared in the lawsuit, in which O’Reilly fantasizes about using the shower scrubber on his former producer.

Gary Braxton, who created the super-sized loofah out of towels and part of a chair, was waiting at the bookstore when O’Reilly arrived. And while the media personality first seemed amused at the presence of an audience member in dress up, his good humor quickly turned to rage when he realized just what the costume represented. Braxton was then removed from the bookstore by members of O’Reilly’s security detail, but not before engaging in a loud back and forth with the author. “Do you recognize me, O’Reilly?” Braxton called out as guards pulled him from the room by his handle. “The Caribbean? The hotel shower?” he yelled, referring to the vivid scene depicted in the lawsuit.

As for why he took the trouble to make—and don—the loofah costume, Braxton had an easy answer: hypocrisy. “These guys, Rush, William Bennett and now O’Reilly think that they can do this stuff and everyone will just forget,” said Braxton, who describes himself as a betrayed O’Reilly fan. “They’re such hypocrites. Maybe the woman had to shut up, but I don’t have to.”

In the Chat Rooms, a ‘No Clothes’ Zone
While some fans like Mr. Braxton have been permanently turned off by the allegations of steamy sex talk and XXX fantasy, others appear to have been inspired by them. On Freerepublic.com, a news and discussion site popular among conservatives, postings condemning O’Reilly for the sexual harassment have been far outnumbered by those not just supporting the embattled host but defending the very idea of sexual fantasy.

“Your sexual harassment lawsuit is too much for me to take, especially when you have a book attempting to discuss morals with children,” wrote one poster who goes by the name 7thson. Minutes later, a writer named Gitmo weighed in with a question: “Where can you find one of these loofas???” Before long, dozens of Freerepublic.com members had come to his aid, listing stores from Kansas to Kentucky where the shower scrubbers are available. One member even directed readers to a website that sells intimacy products for married couples: www.book22.com, named for the Bible’s Song of Solomon. “They don’t have the kind of vibrater [sic] O’Reilly did,” wrote SwiftFan, referring to a statement by O’Reilly in the lawsuit that he owns a vibrator “shaped like a cock with a little battery in it.” Instead, SwiftFan made his own recommendation: “Try the rose bud egg. She’ll love it.”

Marlene Seibert, a family sex counselor with a private practice in St. Louis, MO, says that she’s not surprised that O’Reilly’s fans are expressing curiosity about the world of sexual fantasy and experimentation. “O’Reilly’s audience trends higher than the median as far as church attendance, and slightly lower than the median for education and income. That means that they tend to be traditionalists in a world where sexual temptation is lurking everywhere. If they see their hero trying some sexual experimentation, they might be a little more willing to try it themselves,” says Seibert. “This is a way of saying ‘you can be a traditionalist and be a little naughty too.’” 

Loofah Sales Up, But Not Everywhere
The O’Reilly sex tape controversy has already paid off in a big way for companies that sell and manufacture loofah mitts. In the months since the story broke, Bath & Body Works, a division of Limited Brands Inc (LTD), says that sales of loofah sponges in its 1700 stores have soared, providing a much-needed boost to the company’s bottom line. Overall, sales increased 11% at Bath & Body Works in the 4 week period ending October 30th. Andrea Mackris’ suit against her former boss was filed on October 13th.

But good news for one segment of the fast-growing loofah sector may mean bad news for another. Wal-Mart recently announced that it was pulling long-handled loofah sponges from its stores because of concerns that the shower accessories were being used in a less than wholesome fashion. "We felt a majority of our customers would not be comfortable with the product in our stores after the exposure it has gotten," Wal-Mart spokeswomen Kathleen Burk told the New York Daily News.

The O’Reilly Factor—For Adults
Meanwhile, Bill O’Reilly is ready for his fans and detractors to forget about his x-rated episode and move on. At a reading of The O’Reilly Factor for Kids for an audience of school children in nearby Bloomfield, NJ, Mary Beth Carabali had a decidedly grownup question for Mr. O’Reilly: “When are you going to write The O’Reilly Factor for Adults?” she called out, flashing the host a wink and a grin that can only be described as lascivious. The author scowled and told the mother of two to “shut up,” but she didn’t seem to mind. “That lawsuit is the best thing that’s ever happened to my husband and me,” said Carabali. “My husband worships O’Reilly and let’s just say he wants to be just like him.”

Deanna Swift can be reached at deannaswift1@yahoo.com

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