Bill O’Reilly Boycotting Sean Penn Films

Bill O’Reilly is chugging along as one of the most successful talking heads on the news these days. His "The O’Reilly Factor" show has been the number 1 cable news show for 100 consecutive months, he’s already won three Emmys and he’s produced multiple best-selling books. Still, the success has not tempered his fiery and aggressive attitude.

Asked why actors are frequent targets of his show, O’Reilly responded, "My job is to watch the powerful. A performer has a forum that other people do not, and all we ask is that they be fair. If they believe something and use their TV show, movie or concert to spout off about it, that's fine. But if we have some questions about their beliefs, I think they should answer them -- and not be drive-by people."

Then asked if any celebrities or actors bother him so much that he won’t see their movies, O’Reilly quickly responded, "Only Sean Penn." Asked if he was encouraging a new era of blacklisting, O’Reilly responded, "Not at all. He's a great actor, and if you hire him, you'll get a good performance. I'm just not going to give a guy who gives aid and comfort to people like (Iran president Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez and Saddam Hussein, when he was alive, my 10 bucks. That's my right as an American." Finally, asked how he went from high school teacher to television "star," O’Reilly answered, "I did it the hard way. I went back to school, got a master's degree from Boston University in broadcast journalism. I took a job in Scranton, Pa., and I worked hard. I took chances and did what I had to do. It's the great American story."