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'The O'Reilly Factor' host Bill O'Reilly points across |
AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK
--One is from Fox News, the other Comedy Central. They might as well be the Capulets and the Montagues.But despite their opposing sides on the political spectrum, something almost like--gasp!--friendship has evolved between Bill O'Reilly and Jon Stewart. The two have frequently appeared on each other's shows, exhibiting actual respect for the other's views.
On Saturday, Stewart and O'Reilly will square off in a mock debate in Washington, to be streamed online for $4.95, with half the proceeds going to charity. As the two prepare for the clash in their respective corners--the event has been dubbed "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium"--Stewart and O'Reilly took a moment to reflect on their unique relationship.
"I think he idolizes me secretly and that's what it's all about," says O'Reilly.
Stewart, in turn, compares them to "The Princess and the Pea."
"And I'm going to go with me as the pea," he says.
Their 90-minute debate, after tonight's showdown between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney, will be conducted like a presidential debate (albeit with less-strict time restraints) and moderated by CNN's E.D. Hill. The sold-out event at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium will be live-streamed at TheRumble 2012.com.
The two have occasionally appeared on each other's programs since 2001. O'Reilly has called the "Daily Show" audience "stoned slackers" and "dopey kids." Stewart, a famous critic of Fox News, in 2008 created "a safe zone" on "The Daily Show" for O'Reilly to confess what scares him about Obama.
