In the March 13 edition of The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News, Bill O'Reilly hosted editorial page editor Curtis Hubbard of the Denver Post. Hubbard had recently criticized O'Reilly for his persistent attacks against gay Colorado lawmaker Mark Ferrandino.
O'Reilly "berated" his guest according to online source Media Matters for America, calling Hubbard a "smear merchant" and a "charlatan," for "accurately accusing him of attempting to depict [the] gay Colorado lawmaker as being lenient towards child molesters."
Hubbard called out O'Reilly in his March 10 column for referencing Rep. Ferrandino's sexual orientation multiple times while speaking on the lawmaker's opposition to Jessica's Law, a measure that would implement a 25-year minimum sentence on those found guilty of sexually assaulting children. According to Media Matters, O'Reilly's out of context stabs at Ferrandino's sexual orientation include several instances, with the first in February. The source cited conservative media critic Bernie Sanders' reaction to O'Reilly's commentary. He said "'what does [Ferrandino's] sexuality have anything to do' with his position on Jessica's Law?"
Media Matters finds Hubbard's criticism as appropriate, seeing as O'Reilly previously supported the myth that homosexuality is linked to pedophilia. He reversed his position earlier this week due to the negative response to his comments on Ferrandino.
