Stephen Colbert revived his conservative pundit persona on Wednesday to bid a proper farewell to Bill O’Reilly, just hours after Fox News announced it was severing ties with its top-rated host. The firing followed weeks of controversy after the New York Times revealed O’Reilly and Fox News had paid nearly $13 million to settle sexual harassment allegations with multiple women during his tenure at Fox.
“You didn’t deserve this great man,” Colbert, in character, said. “All he ever did was have your back. And if you were a woman, you know, have a go at the front too.”
As the segment closed, the Late Show host offered some comfort to O’Reilly viewers, reminding them that in the case they’ll miss watching “sexual harassers who are on TV all the time, we still have Donald Trump.”