The 64-year-old said the video “glorifies having sex in the back of a limousine.”
He added: “Teenage girls look up to Beyoncé, particularly girls of colour. She’s an idol to them. Why on earth would this woman do that?” According to O’Reilly, she “has an obligation to protect children” and not release “exploitative garbage”. The heated discussion took place during this week's segment of The O’Reilly Factor, with rap mogul Russell Simmons, who seemed slightly agitated by O’Reilly's racist undertones.
Honestly, I like how Simmons put him in his place by stating that Beyoncé was not only appreciated by people of colour, and that her global dominance meant she appealed to people of all backgrounds. Simmons says that when an artist expresses sexuality in their art, it’s often a reflection of our reality.
Beyoncé's husband was not exempt from attack either. He accused Jay Z and his pal Kanye West for negatively influencing today's youth. “You have to attack the fundamental disease if you want to cure it,” said O’Reilly. “You’re going to have to get people like Jay Z, Kanye West – all these gangsta rappers – to knock it off”. Gangsta rappers huh?
Given O'Reilly's history with multiple sex harassment charges and settlements, should he really be the one for passing judgement and scathing remarks on somebody else for not being a model citizen? I think not. Besides, I don't even know why this is still an issue. Powerful artists have been dealing with sex in their music and videos for decades and that will never change.
It's unfair to hold a pop star solely responsible for what a teen gets up to. Parents are the ones to make sure their children are raised properly to ensure they grow up into intelligent, moral beings.