Andrea Mackris Sues for Dirty Talk
Although
not a TV star per se, Andrea Mackris – a Fox News producer -- has been making some headlines recently with
filing a sexual harassment suit against Bill O’Reilly, the rightwing star of
Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News.
Mackris
claimed that O’Reilly has tried to have sex with her on a number of occasions,
made obnoxious comments about vibrators, phone sex, ménages a trois and tales
of his own sexual exploits and continuously proposed her to have an affair in a
hotel room.
O’Reilly,
on the other hand, claims he is the target of a politically motivated, $60m
(Ł33.2m) extortion attempt by his accuser, and her lawyer, a well-known
Benedict Morelli.
O’Reilly
said that his career as well as the reputation of the conservative Fox News was
jeopardized because of the
accusations. But the scandal has not
affected the high ratings for the show, instead ratings for The O’Reilly Factor
have gone sky high.
O’Reilly,
who is 55 and married, has not directly denied the accusations but has said
that the lawsuit may ruin his career, his reputation and his marriage. This whole mess is a huge embarrassment to
Fox and to an anchor who appeals to a largely conservative audience. Ironically, O’Reilly frequently lectures
guests on morality, and recently wrote a book of advice for children.
According
to the suit O’Reilly was repeatedly propositioning Mackris and she has actually
recorded some of the conversations. In
one he allegedly suggests that she buy a vibrator, boasts knowing how to teach
women how to masturbate, and discusses what kind of sex they should have and
talks dirty. For much of the conversations, O’Reilly alternates between sexual
fantasies and boasting about his sexual - and television - performance.
What
experts say is potentially quite damaging to O’Reilly is not so much the fact
that he propositioned Mackris, but the sexual details of the
conversations. O’Reillly’s Caribbean
holiday shower and Scandinavian airline hostess fantasies are strange and then
there’s his obsession with vibrators, one of which he allegedly uses on himself
often.
As
it is with any prominent and public figures comedians and talk-show hosts are
having fun at O’Reilly’s expense. It is
also not surprising that people are really obsessed with the discomfort of a
man who so enthusiastically promotes family values.
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