Reactions to Jimmy Kimmel’s Return, Shifts in the Media Landscape with John Malone, & PBS/NPR Turn to Far-Left Donors

Summary

Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis

Episode: Reactions to Jimmy Kimmel’s Return, Shifts in the Media Landscape with John Malone, & PBS/NPR Turn to Far-Left Donors

Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Bill O’Reilly

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Overview

In this episode, Bill O’Reilly dissects the fallout and ongoing controversy surrounding Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late night TV after inflammatory comments about conservatives, delves into the broader free speech debate, and highlights the shifting nature of the media landscape. He interviews media mogul John Malone about CNN’s ideological transformation, discusses the reliance of PBS/NPR on left-leaning donors, and reviews recent polling data on the Trump administration and the political climate.

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Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Jimmy Kimmel’s Return & the Free Speech Debate

[01:11 – 12:42]

• Fatigue Over Kimmel Coverage:
  O’Reilly expresses frustration at the repetitive nature of the Kimmel controversy, noting the media’s tendency to paint Kimmel as a free speech "victim" (01:11).

  "No matter what I do worldwide, the media has stamped Mr. Kimmel a victim in the freedom of speech debate, which is totally bogus."
  (Bill O’Reilly, 01:11)

• Kimmel’s Return Monologue:
  Kimmel was unrepentant but not arrogant, opting not to apologize for controversial remarks about Trump supporters and the death of Charlie Kirk:

  • Thanks to fellow late-night hosts for support.
  • Jokes about potentially being offered a job in Germany due to alleged authoritarianism in the U.S. (04:07)

"This country has become so authoritarian. The Germans are like, come here."
(Jimmy Kimmel, 04:30)

• Kimmel Addresses the Controversy:
  Kimmel attempts to clarify that he never intended to make light of tragedy or assign blame but acknowledges that those upset have valid reasons.

"If you like me, like me. If you don’t, you don’t. I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind… I understand that to some that felt either ill timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger. I get why you’re upset."
(Jimmy Kimmel, 05:19)

• O’Reilly’s Assessment & Advice:
  O’Reilly calls Kimmel “a fanatic” for repeatedly injecting politics, urges him to stop being a zealot, and rebukes ABC for fostering ideological echo chambers.

"Stop being a zealot. I know you go to cocktail parties, you all hang out in Hollywood and you're all the same mindset, but stop being a zealot. That's not what ABC hired you to do, even though they allow you to do it."
(Bill O’Reilly, 08:12)

• The Myth of Government Censorship:
  O’Reilly debunks Kimmel’s implication that government officials tried to silence his show, stating the backlash was entirely grassroots and local.

"No government official try to coerce the companies that take Kimmel show off the air... The company nexstar reacted to its local viewership which was outraged about what Jim said. They got thousands of complaints. That's why the controversy erupted."
(Bill O’Reilly, 07:21)

• Advice for President Trump:
  Urges Trump to focus on major issues (Russia, China, grocery prices) rather than feuding with late-night hosts.

"The Putin Ukraine nuke situation, that is off the chart dangerous. The Chinese situation... The rising prices of groceries in America, those are the Jimmy Kimmel doesn't mean anything to this country."
(Bill O’Reilly, 08:41)

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2. Media Echo Chambers, Polls, and Political Narratives

[12:42 – 22:15]

• Reactions from Other Media & Charlie Kirk’s Organization:
  O’Reilly critiques other media for distorting the free speech angle and points out the lack of ideological diversity on liberal outlets.

“Mr. Kimmel isn't fostering any conversation about free speech because he doesn't allow any non liberal voices on his program. And this stuff happens every single day.”
(Bill O’Reilly, 13:01)

• Charlie Kirk Polling Data:
  Discusses a Rasmussen poll about Kirk’s reputation and how different political camps view his death (respectful debater vs. hateful speaker).

• Fact-Checking Kamala Harris:
  Challenges claims made by VP Harris about Trump’s economic record, particularly unemployment and inflation, and analyzes new polling showing Republicans favored on the economy, crime, and immigration.

"Grocery prices, December 24, 1.8% annual increase now 2.7. There is the vulnerability for Donald Trump. Somehow, some way, the Republicans have got to try to bring down those grocery prices."
(Bill O’Reilly, 16:27)

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3. Interview: John Malone on CNN & Media Evolution

[22:15 – 29:59]

• Malone’s History in News:
  John Malone shares his deep involvement in TV news, from the early days of CNN to the creation of CNBC and investments in Fox News.

• CNN’s Slide Left:
  Discusses his suggestion (met with internal backlash) that CNN differentiate between news and opinion—echoes Fox’s successful model. Explains that CNN’s shift was accelerated by Fox News emerging as a right-leaning competitor, creating a binary landscape.

"I suggested that they follow the Fox model a little more closely and just label news news and label opinion opinion and maybe even have, you know, a guest column or two."
(John Malone, 25:25)

• O’Reilly on Lack of Ideological Diversity:
  O’Reilly recounts how Fox News, during his prime-time presence, always sought out opposing views—contrasts with current CNN and the broader trend of excluding dissenting voices.

"My orders to my staff were find the smartest person you can who disagrees with me... And we put them on. Now on cnn... I can't get booked."
(Bill O’Reilly, 27:09)

• Business Side & Imminent Changes:
  Malone notes his limited influence as a mere director/shareholder and predicts CNN may be sold soon, urging a potential pivot back to hard news.

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4. PBS/NPR & the Shift to Private, Ideological Funding

[29:59 – 32:00]

• Private donors, including left-leaning major foundations, have filled funding gaps after government budget cuts, essentially shifting public media to be reliant on ideological money rather than taxpayer funds.

"Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Schmidt family foundation, all of them. And they all pool their money and they're given 100 million instead of 50... Pump as much money as you want in there."
(Bill O’Reilly, 30:46)

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5. Polling, Breaking News, and Global Developments

[32:00 – 36:18]

• Trump Administration Polling:
  Dissects a Reuters poll showing Trump’s approval numbers and the public’s party preferences on policy areas, noting apparent contradictions.

• Ukraine Conflict:
  Mentions unconfirmed reports about Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.

• Mexico’s Violence:
  Dramatizes the scale of cartel-related murders and disappearances, emphasizing the resulting instability and lack of cooperation from Mexican leadership.

• Socio-Economic Observations:
  Warns against “punishing” wealthy Americans, arguing their consumption is essential to the economy.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kimmel’s Media “Victim” Status:

  “The media has stamped Mr. Kimmel a victim in the freedom of speech debate, which is totally bogus.” (Bill O’Reilly, 01:11)

• Kimmel’s Reflection:

  “Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country. And that’s something I’m embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen off the air and tried to coerce the affiliates who run our show...That’s not legal. That’s not American. That is un-American.”
  (Jimmy Kimmel, 06:29)

• O’Reilly’s Call for Open Dialogue:

  “When you ban all non liberal voices on your show, which is what you've done for three years. Talk about freedom of expression violations. All five of the liberal networks have banned every single non liberal voice. That's Putin's stuff.”
  (Bill O’Reilly, 08:12)

• John Malone on CNN’s Direction:

  “CNN has great journalists, but they all are educated from the left.” (John Malone, 27:58)

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Key Timestamps for Segments

• Jimmy Kimmel Monologue & Analysis: 01:11 – 12:42
• Media Critique, Kirk Poll, Fact-Checking Harris: 12:42 – 22:15
• John Malone Interview (CNN & News Evolution): 22:15 – 29:59
• PBS/NPR Donor Discussion & Polling: 29:59 – 32:00
• Global & Economic Issues: 32:00 – 36:18
• Final Thoughts & Upcoming Content: 36:18 – End

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Tone & Language

Throughout, O’Reilly combines his characteristic bluntness and skepticism about media narratives with a voice of seasoned experience (“I’ve been in the business 50 years”). He is direct, occasionally sarcastic, and challenges both left-leaning and right-leaning figures, advocating for factual clarity and more open debate—though with his firmly conservative perspective.

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For Listeners New to the Episode

This episode distills the larger debate about the media’s role in exacerbating political divisions—using Kimmel’s controversy as a case study. It also provides a rare insider’s view on how television news became polarized, underwritten by business interests and donor ideologies. O’Reilly’s advice to both Jimmy Kimmel and Donald Trump is to deescalate the media feuds and focus on issues that actually impact national life, while his discussion with John Malone offers a sober assessment of why outlets like CNN drifted left.

The episode is a blend of critique, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, critiques of polling, and calls for a return to a more pluralistic dialogue in public life.

Transcript

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[Bill O'Reilly]

Hey, Bill O'Reilly here. Welcome to the no Spin News. Wednesday, September 24, 2025 Stand up for your country. So I hope this is the last time I have to report about Jimmy Kimmel, okay? Not that I have anything against Jimmy. Personally. I don't. I kind of like him. But I'm tired. I'm tired of the story. And no matter what I do worldwide, the media has stamped Mr. Kimmel a victim in the freedom of speech debate, which is totally bogus. But it isn't going to change, okay? It's not. I mean, I'm like a lone voice here saying, no, this is not really the story about freedom of speech. And you know that. And I. And that's one thing. I don't like to be repetitive. I don't like to go over and over and over and over. And I'm going to try not to do that. Now we're going to analyze Mr. Kimmel's return. We're going to tell you stuff you don't know because I do know. And then we'll move along. And at the end of the talking points memo, I'm going to give advice to both President Trump and to Jimmy Kimmel. Personal advice to both gentlemen at the end of the T points, which begins right now. All right, so Mr. Kimmel returned, as expected, unrepentant. But he wasn't arrogant. You know, he was fairly humble. He didn't apologize for suggesting that conservative Americans who support Donald Trump somehow were responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which is what got Kimmel in trouble in the first place. That absurd notion, which is irresponsible in the extreme. Okay, that's what got him in trouble. But before that, Mr. Kimmel had carved out an anti Trump posture that was almost a comedy act all in itself. It wasn't funny, but it was so absurd. Every single night, Colbert and Kimmel, you know, all right, we got it. You don't like the guy. So anyway, I'm going to run down a few clips, we'll analyze them and we'll get some reaction. And then I will give my personal advice to both President Trump and Jimmy Kimmel, which I'm sure they're all going to write down and do exactly what I suggest. All right, so Kimmel opens it up last night with this. Go.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

I want to thank everyone who checked in.

[Political Commentator (possibly a CNN or MSNBC host)]

It would take all week to list all of them.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

But something I do especially want to mention are my fellow late night talk show hosts, my friend Stephen Colbert.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Who.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

Found himself in this predicament, my friends John Stewart, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Tony o', Brien, James Corden, Arsenio, Kathy, Wanda, Chelsea, even Jay reached out. I heard from late night hosts in other countries, from Ireland and from Germany. The guy in Germany offered me a job. His.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Can you imagine?

[Jimmy Kimmel]

This country has become so authoritarian. The Germans are like, come here.

[Bill O'Reilly]

All right, you know, it's okay not object. And my personal view is I don't want Jimmy Kimmel banished or, you know, I don't believe in that cancel stuff. And he tried to do it to me. They only made me stronger, which I pretty ironic, but it's exactly what happened. Now, as for the controversy himself, Kimmel should have said, look, I'm sorry I said that about the MAGA people. That's what he should have said. But you know, he's playing to a crew. Always remember that these people play to a certain audience, not the whole audience, not the whole country. They played with certain sliver. So here's what Kimmel said about the controversy. Go.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

I've been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight and, and the truth is I don't think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, like me. If you don't, you don't. I have no illusions about changing anyone's mind, but I do want to make something clear because it's important to me as a human. And that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. But I understand that to some that felt either ill timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger. I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there was a good chance I'd have felt the same way.

[Bill O'Reilly]

All right, Rational. I mean, that's not what the crux of the matter is. It was inappropriate to inject politics falsely a few days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated just in propriet. And the reason that it happened was because Mr. Kimmel is a fanatic. All right. And that's not good. All right, the third one and the last one is about the overall issue of expression. Go.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this. I've had the opportunity to meet and spend time with comedians and talk show hosts from countries like Russia, countries in the Middle east who told me they would get thrown in prison for making fun of those in power. And worse than being thrown in prison, they know how lucky we are here. Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country. And that's something I'm embarrassed to say. I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen off the air and tried to coerce the affiliates who run our show in the cities that you live in to take my show off the air. That's not legal. That's not American. That is un American.

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And it is so dangerous.

[Bill O'Reilly]

No government official try to coerce the companies that take Kimmel show off the air. And I know that because I work for nextstar. You know that on News Nation I appear. I'll be on with Cuomo tonight. That's not what that company did. The company nexstar reacted to its local viewership which was outraged about what Jim said. They got thousands of complaints. That's why the controversy erupted. This wasn't any conspiracy to silence Colbert and Kimmel. Now, to be fair and honest, President Trump doesn't like those people and would be happy if they disappeared. That is the truth. And my advice to President Trump is don't bother with this. You got three big things to do. I mean, major historical things that President Trump is facing. The Putin Ukraine nuke situation, that is off the chart dangerous. The Chinese situation, which is the only solution to Putin and the rising prices of groceries in America, those are the Jimmy Kimmel doesn't mean anything to this country. Now, I well understand how poorly, unfairly Donald Trump has been treated for the past 10 years because I was treated unfairly, but not nearly the way he was treated. And I understand his animus toward Kimmel and Colbert. I got it. But boy, Mr. President, you have so much and it's so difficult that, you know, they kind of dip down into the Kimmel land. Not worth it. And for Jimmy Kimmel, I think you're pretty funny. I've been on your show five times. Stop being a zealot. I know you go to cocktail parties, you all hang out in Hollywood and you're all the same mindset, but stop being a zealot. That's not what ABC hired you to do, even though they allow you to do it. Okay? You're not looking out for the folks or the public interest when you banish, when you ban all non liberal voices on your show, which is what you've done for three years. Talk about freedom of expression violations. All five of the liberal networks have banned every single non liberal voice. That's Putin's stuff. And I've said it way too much. I said it on the Hannity radio program again today. And I know I'm getting to be boring in saying it over and over, but that is the story. And Jimmy, personally, don't be a zealot, okay? That's not playing to your strength. You simply don't know as much as it would take to do the analysis you're trying to do. You don't know because you don't try to find out. You live in a bubble. And it's true for Colbert. They never come up against me. In fact, Kimmel is going to be in Brooklyn, I think it's next week. And I had my representative say, look, O'Reilly would be happy to come on and talk about, you know, what ratings would be for that, for him if he did that. What are the odds of him doing that? And I'll, you know, if he does, then I'll, I'll give him props. Anyway, the story I hope is over. I hope everybody watching me around the world understands the real story here. And let's go forward. Let's face it, the US economy is under stress, national debt rising, trade war shaking the markets. And meanwhile, China is dumping the dollar and stockpiling gold. That's why I protected my savings with physical gold and silver through the only dealer I trust, American Hartford Gold. And you can do this. Get precious metals delivered to your door or place in a tax Advantage Gold IRA. They'll even help you roll over your existing IRA or 401, tax and penalty free with billions in precious metals delivered thousands of five star reviews and an A from the Better Business Bureau. You can trust American Hartford Gold as I do. Please call 866-326-5576 or text bill to 998-899. Again, that's 866-326-5576, or text bill to 998-899.

[Political Commentator (possibly a CNN or MSNBC host)]

Only murders in the buildings, he said.

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[Bill O'Reilly]

The night Buster died, he was talking with this mobster. Was he killed in a hit? We need to go face to face with the mob.

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[Jimmy Kimmel]

Buongiorno, signore.

[Bill O'Reilly]

This is how I die.

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You're gonna save the day like you always do by being smart, sharp and almost always by mistake.

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[Bill O'Reilly]

All right, reaction CNN typical roller tape on them.

[News Analyst or Commentator]

With gratitude and also a note of defiance, Jimmy Kimmel showed that he is back.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Not just back on his late night.

[News Analyst or Commentator]

Talk show, but also back fostering a conversation about the state of free speech in the United States.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Well, it's a total distortion. Mr. Kimmel isn't fostering any conversation about free speech because he doesn't allow any non liberal voices on his program. And this stuff happens every single day. How about the View? Joy Behar, go the thing that's interesting.

[Political Commentator (possibly a CNN or MSNBC host)]

About this to me is that autocrats, dictators go after comedians. He's not the first. Trump is not the first one to do this. Putin, for example, his first actions when he took power was to was to take over a TV network that aired a comedy show that mocked him with puppets.

[Bill O'Reilly]

No, I'm not going to say that. That comedy show might be the View, but that would be cruel and I'm not going to do it. Talk about puppets. But anyway, now Trump is Putin. So last week he was Hitler, now he's Putin. Next week he'll be Mao Zedong. Then Henry viii. All the characters in my book confronting evil. That's what Trump's going to be on extending weeks. And here's a serious thing. Charlie Kirk's organization Turning Point put this out. Quote, not good enough. Jimmy, it's simple. Here's what you need to say. I'm sorry for saying the shooter was maga. He was not. He was of the left. I apologize for the Kirk family for lying. Please accept my sincere apology. I will do better. I was wrong Unquote. That is the, the turning point reaction. Okay, I think we'll wrap that up now. Let's go to a new poll about Charlie Kirk's killing. This is Rasmussen 1165 likely voters. The question was, which is close to your opinion? Charlie Kirk was peacefully and respectfully debating people and to tragedy. He was murdered or Charlie Kirk was speaking hateful words and his murder was tragic but understandable. All right. Tragic but understandable. 26%. Okay. Respectfully debating people, 62%. And I believe that's true. I do believe that that is reflects the American public. On the liberal side, though, 54% said Mr. Kirk was hateful. Just so you know, conservative. Only 5% said he was hateful. Kamala Harris, who has no trouble getting booked on every network show she wants. She is welcome here on the no spin news. In a million years, she would not come in here. And I had just very simple questions like are you happy that the border is sealed now, Ms. Vice President? You know, stuff like that, just straight declarative sentences. She can say whatever she wants to say, but never would she sit across from me. I sound like a braggadocio here. I'm just stating the facts. Anyway, she's on the View, of course. And here's what she says about Trump. Go.

[Political Commentator (possibly a CNN or MSNBC host)]

First of all, he said his number one priority and the number one thing he would do is bring down costs. Yeah, that's what he said. And I believe there are a lot of people who voted for him, him believing that that's what he would do. Fast forward to today. Yeah, hello. Prices are higher. The cost of food is higher. Inflation is higher. Unemployment is higher. He lied. Yeah, he lied.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yay. He lied. He lies. The campaign stuff. Campaign rhetoric. So let's fact check it. In December 24th, Biden Harris in office. Unemployment 4:1. Now it's 4:3, which is the same. Just about the same. Okay, so that's wrong. Consumer prices and weight of inflation. December 24, 29, August 25 to 9. But in the big cities, consumer prices is up 3%. Okay, that's where people are getting hit. New York City, Chicago, things like that. Grocery prices, December 24, 1.8%. Annual increase now 2.7. There is the vulnerability for Donald Trump. Somehow, some way, the Republicans have got to try to bring down those grocery prices. Another poll, Washington Post about the Democratic Party. So this is 2,513 US adults. Which political party do you trust doing a better job handling each of the following? The economy, Democrats 32%. Republicans, 39. So even though prices are going up for groceries a little bit, people still trust more the Republican Party on the economy. Crime, Democrats, 22, Republicans 44, a double. And immigration, Democrats, 29, Republicans 42. So the Democrats, they got about 13 months to turn it around for the midterms. Now here is a very interesting story. So ABC News, Disney is liberal, whole network's liberal. And the chief anchor at ABC News is George Stepanopoulos, who used to be Bill Clinton's main guy in the White House. Now, the Trump administration has canceled a lot of U.S. aid contracts trying to save money, about $54 billion worth, which is a good chunk of cheap change. Okay? Stephanopoulos, as a left wing person, objects to those cuts, doesn't want to cut the 54 billion out of USAID. So Secretary of State Marco Rubio goes on with Stepanopoulos and here's how that went down. Go.

[Political Commentator (possibly a CNN or MSNBC host)]

No one has died because of the aid cuts.

[News Analyst or Commentator]

Are all those aid organizations. That's ridiculous. Well, first of all. Well, then they died because England didn't give enough money or Canada didn't give more or China did. Let's blame the other countries that don't do any foreign aid. How about China? I mean, China's second largest economy in the world. They don't give money to the. So you're no longer disputing lives, you're no longer disputing that it didn't. I think anybody who tells you that somehow it's the United States, if we cut a dollar, somehow we're responsible for some horrific thing that's going on in the world is just not true. Beyond that, I would say that in some of these places, not going to.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Someone's going to die.

[News Analyst or Commentator]

One of the reasons why some of these places didn't get the aid is not because we cut the aid. It's because there's a war going on and the aid never got to the people. So in Sudan, for example, it's not just a humanitarian catastrophe, it's a war zone. Okay? The aid is stolen, the aid is impeded. In fact, they use aid as a tool against the people.

[Bill O'Reilly]

All right, so Stephanopoulos takes the classic liberal position, which is fine. At least he had Rubio on. He wouldn't have me on. All right. To debate him because it's insane by saying if the United States oversees the sending of American money to foreign governments who steal it, somehow we're killing people. I mean, look at Haiti, how many billions of dollars he pumped into that place. You can't even go there. Myanmar, come on. But It's a good debate. Ratings TV ratings for Charlie Kirk's memorial. Fox News dominated. As you would expect, News Nation beat CNN and Ms. Combined. Huge showing for News Nation. Average 615,000. Almost 200,000 in the key demo for its telecast headed by Leland Vitterd. And I will be on with Cuomo tonight at 8 o' clock on News Nation. But that is breakthrough for News Nation. It really is. And we had to report it.

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[Bill O'Reilly]

Now, what happened to cnn? CNN used to be on every breaking news story, every big event in the world because I've been in the business 50 years. CNN dominated. They dominated the news coverage and they got whacked on this Charlie Kirk thing. 46,000 in a key demo. That's local news. Nobody's going to CNN anymore for breaking news. So joining us now from Maine is a guy who knows probably more about CNN than anybody else. His name is John Malone. You've heard about him. He's a very successful businessman. He's got a new book out called Born to Be, Lessons from a Lifetime Transforming Television, Wiring America for the Internet, Growing Formula One, Discovery, Sirius and the Atlanta Braves. That is some subtitle to that book, Mr. Malone, but thank you for appearing. Look, you were there in various capacities and even now you're the chair emeritus of Warner Brothers Discovery, which owns cnn. You saw the change from a hard news agency into a left wing concern. Did that bother you when it was happening?

[John Malone]

Well, it depends on where I was at the time. I guess I would say My involvement in the governance of CNN really started with the merger of Discovery and Time Warner, which took place about three years ago. Before that, I would say I was a shareholder indirectly and directly in Time Warner, but also in, for instance, News Corp. That had Fox News. And. And we were owners of CNBC and we owned the McNeil Lair News Hour for many years and underwrote that for the public broadcasting side. So I've been in and around news for a very long time. Created CNBC together with the GE guys. So a long history in television news because I came from it as a distributor.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Right, you were in the cable side of it, and you're a technical genius, and you saw early on that the cable was going to dominate. You got in, you made a lot of money. But you write in your book that no Time Warner Discovery executives would interfere when Trump got into the political arena and CNN went anti Trump. Now, it seems to me, if you're a big stockholder in that company, and you are, and you saw what was happening, that CNN was losing some of its credibility, had grown since Ted Turner had owned it, that maybe somebody would have said something. But apparently that didn't happen.

[John Malone]

Well, I said something and I got. I got ripped for it. I didn't want to cause a walkout at the CNN newsroom, but I suggested that they follow the Fox model a little more closely and just label news news and label opinion opinion and maybe even have, you know, a guest column or two. But they should differentiate. When we got started with Fox News, it was a call from Rupert Murdoch that said, is there room in America for another video news channel? At that point, I was already a big investor in Ted Turner and cnn. And I said, yes, there is Rupert, but you have to come in center. Center. Right. And so Rupert's theory was, we're going to have real news. We're going to have guys like Brett Baer or Brit Hume before him, and it's going to be serious news. It's not going to be opinion. And then we're going to have a show that is entertaining and focuses really on politics, anything of current interest. And that was the original thesis. And I, you know, your viewers, I'm sure they remember good old Rush Limbaugh. But Rupert's first thought was, go recruit Rush Limbaugh to be the anchor on the first Fox News show. And I actually tried to talk Rush into it, and I couldn't. But he gave us Roger Ailes, which was a great.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah. And I was the, I was the guy who did the primetime Opinion show. But we actively sought Mr. Malone, the other side. My orders to my staff were find a smartest person you can who disagrees with me, whether. And I wasn't an ideologue. I never have been. And we put them on now on cnn. I got the number one selling book in the country right now, Confronting Evil. I can't get booked on cnn. I talked to Anderson Cooper directly. I said, Anderson, you put me on, you're going to double your numbers. You're going to double them. And I got 20 number one bestsellers on the New York Times list. That's a world record. Why wouldn't you put me on silence?

[John Malone]

Well, I think you got to start by saying, saying that CNN has great journalists, but they all are educated from the left.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Why? Why is that? You're one of the best business people in the country. And if people don't know John Malone, just Google it and you'll see how successful he has been. Why would you go exclusively left when that's not a good business plan? Plan.

[John Malone]

Well, for a little while. Let's go back. If you, if you go back to Ted. Ted really founded CNN and his idea was, you know, 247 real news. And he recruited a lot of young people right out of journalism school and some who hadn't been to journalism school. And, and he started off, I think, fulfilling his mission. In fact, he was even being accused of being a right winger early on. But over time, Ted's views tended to be a little more progressive, let's say, than conservative. His involvement with Jane tended to push him a little more in that direction. But nothing pushed CNN to the left like Rupert coming in on the right.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Well, that's true, but it hasn't worked. And now CNN's going to be sold. I understand. I think that might happen in the next few months. It didn't work, so why not pivot back to what you used to be when James Earl Jones was doing the voiceovers? Last word.

[John Malone]

They didn't make me put me in charge of cnn. So I really have to just say I was a, a director and a shareholder and basically had zero net influence over the direction of CNN while I was in that role at.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Still doesn't make any sense, though. You're, you're a very astute mind. It doesn't make any sense. I think it's a Trump thing. I think it's probably that, but I'm not sure the book is Born to be Wired. I found it really fascinating because I was, you know, right in on this 1996 wave of the cable competition. Mr. Malone, the best to you. Thank you for appearing tonight. PBS, NPR. You know they got 50 million cut from the Trump administration, but I told you this would happen. So a bunch of left wing financiers have gathered together and they're pumping money into the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, they say to keep the local stations rolling. Maybe that's true. Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Schmidt family foundation, all of them. And they all pool their money and they're given 100 million instead of 50. And that's what it should have been forever. Why take tax dollars when you can have these special interest groups and I got no beef with that. Pump as much money as you want in there. Donald Trump's approval. This is a Reuters poll. Now, the president I think is steady in his belief system. There are no disasters that I can see and certainly I would report them to you. He's only been in office nine months, obviously tried to change the economy, tried to change the world. Some work, some is still pending. Okay, so Reuters, what share of Americans approve of the president's job performance? 41 approve. 58 disapprove. All right, that's a little low. I think it might be a little higher. What share of Americans approve of the President's handling of the economy? Very important. As I said, 35 disapprove. 56. That's a trip troubling number. So Donald Trump has got to get on that price stuff. But here's the kicker for the Reuters poll. It doesn't make any sense. Okay, which party is a better plan for the economy? Republicans 34. Democrats, 24. Well, wait a minute. If you're crucifying Trump for the economy, how can you say the Republicans have a better plan by 10%? That's what I mean about these polls. Which party has a better chance for crime? Better plan for crime? Republicans, 40. Democrats 20. Immigration? Republicans 40. Democrats 22. Political extremism? Republicans 30, Democrats 26. So still the right wing extremism has overcome the left wing extremism. I don't know how that's possible in this day and age, but there's the poll. Now, this is a story I have not been able to confirm because there's no reporting on it, but the Ukrainian government says it hit 10 oil refineries in Russia, crippling some of the Russian transportation of oil. If that's true, big win for Ukraine. Can't confirm it. The Financial Times says it's true. But you know, Ukraine, feisty over there, but they need more help. This is from the Global Post. The GlobalPost.com is our foreign policy journal that we use, and they're accurate. Mexico. What a disaster Mexico is. Do you realize in the last five years almost 200,000 people have been murdered in Mexico by the drug cartels? 200,000 and about 50,000 have disappeared. I think it's double that. Gone. Nobody knows where they are. I'll tell you where they are. They're either in the ocean or underground about 40ft. That's where they are. So that would bring it up to about 300,000 murdered in five years. And Sheinbaum, the president still won't cooperate with Trump on knocking these cartels out. Boy, smart life. Top 10% of American consumers spend 50% of all the stuff bought. This is Bernie Sanders. Punish the wealthy, punish the corporations. What do you think is going to happen if you start to punish and confiscate the wealth in America? Well, consumer spending is going to drop through the floor again. 10% of Americans buy 50% of the stuff. And our economy is driven by consumer spending. I can't cover the shooting at the ICE facility in Dallas yet because they don't know there's too many stuff floating around. But the ICE facility was attacked. The guy who did it killed himself. Two detainees were killed. But we're on it. We're looking. We just don't want to miss report. Okay, that is. That story is like breaking every 15 minutes.

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[Sean Spicer]

Hey, it's Sean Spicer from the Sean Spicer Show Podcast reminding you to tune into my show every day to get your daily dose inside the world of politics. President Trump and his team are shaking up Washington law like never before. And we're here to cover it from all sides, especially on the topics the mainstream media won't. So if you're a political junkie on a late lunch or getting ready for the drive home, new episodes of the Sean Spicer show podcast drop at 2pm East coast every day. Make sure you tune in. You can find us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay, here's a final thought. Leland Vittert on News Nation has a extraordinary new book coming out next week. And it'll be a documentary at 8pm on Sunday this coming Sunday about it. And the book is about Leland's autism. He's autistic. Can you believe it? He's risen to the top of his profession and what he went through when he was a kid and how his father saved him. Okay. So I interviewed Leland for this documentary on Sunday, News Nation, 8pm Boy, it's worth gives hope to millions and millions. Not just autism, but any malady your child may have or your grandchild may have. What Leland overcame, incredible. So he'll be on this program on Monday or no, Tuesday when his book comes out and he'll explain it all to you. But get ahead of it on Sunday night, News Nation, 8pm and I'll be on Cuomo at 8pm tonight. Now I'm gonna take a pause for the cause and give my staff a little breather. I can't tell you how hard we've been working with the Charlie Kirk stuff and the book and all that. So tomorrow we're gonna be off and we'll be back on Monday. But I will have a brand new column on on Sunday. All right. I'm not sure yet. I'm watching reaction to a whole bunch of stuff. But it'll be a good column. And we are very pleased, of course, that you watch and are so loyal to the no Spin news. I am Bill O'Reilly. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.