Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said he finds it disturbing that people want "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams lose his job over false statements he made about being in a helicopter forced down by enemy fire in 2003.
"No. 1, I feel that anybody who is enjoying the destruction of this man, you've got to look at yourself here," O'Reilly said Monday on an appearance on
"Jimmy Kimmel Live." "And there's a lot of people happy his career is going down the drain. That disturbs me."
O'Reilly said Williams made a mistake, but he doesn't know if it is a character flaw.
"If it is, he's going to lose his job," O'Reilly said. "If another one comes out that he exaggerated a story that he reported, he's going to lose his job."
O'Reilly said he was in almost the same situation as Williams while making appearances to the troops.
"I said, let's drive, it's only 12 miles to Baghdad from the airport. The guy goes, we can't. We can't drive, it's too dangerous," O'Reilly said. "So we went up in a helicopter gunship. And I sat right next to the gunner, a little helmet on, the flak jacket. It's unbelievably exhilarating. Your adrenaline is running."
O'Reilly said no one shot at his chopper, but it is understandable that someone would exaggerate the story to make it more interesting, especially on late-night TV.
O'Reilly said he feels for Williams because every public person in America is a target.
"And with the Internet — you know what it is. It's a sewer," he said. "And these people delight in seeing famous people being taken apart. I just think it's wrong. We're human beings like anybody else. … So I don't like this taking and destroying people for sport business."
O'Reilly said he would be willing to interview Williams, but doesn't expect him to do anything other than ride it out rather than grant interviews.
"He's either going to make it or he isn't," he said.
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