On the same day ViacomCBS vowed to "use our platforms to shine a light on the realities of racial injustice and call for equality," disgraced former Fox News host O'Reilly's YouTube show No Spin News began airing on Pluto TV. "Though Pluto TV does not produce or is otherwise involved in the programming of O’Reilly’s show, the timing was questionable, given O’Reilly’s history of racist comments about African Americans," says Tyler Hersko. He adds: "O’Reilly has previously weighed in on other killings of African Americans, including the death of Trayvon Martin in 2013. O’Reilly suggested that Martin was killed because he was wearing a hoodie and looked like a “gangsta” and wouldn’t have been shot if he was wearing a suit and tie. In 2016, O’Reilly said that Black Lives Matter was 'killing Americans' before arguing that 'much of the violent crime in America is being committed right now by young black men.' O’Reilly has also courted controversy for his comments on other issues: He previously referred to 18-year-old rape and murder victim Jennifer Moore as 'moronic' for wearing a miniskirt and suggested that gay marriage would lead to interspecies marriage." Representatives for ViacomCBS and Pluto TV declined to comment.
TOPICS: Bill O'Reilly, No Spin News, George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, Pluto TV, ViacomCBS