25 Things We Love That Fox News Has Hated On

Anyone even a little bit familiar with Fox News is used to its pundits railing against the left like it's their job. This is largely because it is their job. If you manage to keep Fox News on your television for longer than the few minutes it takes to recognize this, you'll likely be impressed with the other things the network dislikes. The employees of Fox News have to fill the 24 hours of the day, seven days a week, and sometimes there just isn't enough politics to fill the hour.

In desperate situations, the network looks in strange places for things to be upset about. Over the years, Fox News has taken aim at rappers, video games, and children's shows, accusing them of corrupting our nation's youth and/or supporting President Obama.

Take a moment to appreciate how the Fair and Balanced Network will go out of its way to hate on just about anything with these 25 Things We Love That Fox News Has Hated On.

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When: August 2011
Where: Fox and Friends

Not much makes Fox News pundits angrier than when cartoons go eco-conscious. In 2011, Fox and Friends came after SpongeBob for claiming that global warming is a "man-made problem that requires human intervention." One sequence they took issue with depicts SpongeBob lighting a tire fire to help Mr. Krabs speed the process of global warming, after the fast food entrepreneur realizes a warmer planet could mean more profits for the Krusty Krab.

Though scientists and cartoonists alike accept that the global warming debate is more a set of facts than a conversation, the conservative morning show hosts disagreed. No one is as good at making the objective subjective like Fox News, and they do it all without animation, which is pretty impressive.

When: June 2011
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

You'd think that Fox News would be thrilled that Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco referred to President Obama as a terrorist implicity in his song "Words I Never Said" and then explicitly in a follow-up interview. Surprisingly, O'Reilly took exception with Lupe's words. Fiasco articulated his point succinctly when called to task by Papa Bear.

"If you're going to fight terrorism," he said, "You fight the root causes." Fiasco implied that the root causes are American imperialism and the military industrial complex. Lupe then went on to condemn the War in Afghanistan.

O'Reilly condescendingly responded, "We went to Afghanistan to deprive Al-Qaeda of its sanctuary." Of course, O'Reilly didn't have it in him to treat a hip-hop artist with respect. O'Reilly was sure to ask Fiasco if he knows what "fallacious" means and mocked his sunglasses, to which Lupe responded, "Actually, they're prescription."

When: April 2009
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

Papa Bear Bill O'Reilly declared that, "Few Americans take the vile rapper Eminem seriously" after the rapper dissed Sarah Palin in a verse. O'Reilly and his team took this opportunity to complain that feminists give Eminem a pass while taking every opportunity to criticize right wing chauvinists like O'Reilly. If you've ever been on the Internet, you know this isn't true.

We went ahead and conducted the Google search for you: here is one of hundreds of feminist complaints against Eminem. O'Reilly also claimed that Eminem is a tool because he is supported by corporations, like every other major label artist ever, and, of course, O'Reilly himself.

When: Februray 2010
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

There have been several bouts between Stewart and O'Reilly over the years, and they are always a pleasure to watch. In their 2010 match, they kept it relatively civil for the first few minutes, debating President Obama's progress to date. Then the gloves came off.

Stewart started with, "You've taken a cyclonic...political wing and you've cut it a little bit." He mocked Fox and Friends, saying "I googled 'Czar,' did you know that's a Russian word?"

Though O'Reilly managed to restrain himself far more than usual, he referred to Jon Stewart's writers as "pin heads" and accused him of being dishonest in his news coverage. We have to give O'Reilly credit where credit's due though, he got through the whole thing without yelling.

When: June 2012
Where: Money with Melissa Francis
Watch the hate

If you look closely while watching the season one finale of Game of Thrones, you will notice George W. Bush's head on a spike. As you would expect, this did not sit well with Fox News, and the story was incorporated into the conservative news cycle as often as possible for the better part of a week. Though Game of Thrones staffers insisted that the placement of the prop head was unintentional, FOX jumped to conspiratorial conclusions.

Pundits were quick to point out that 80% of HBO parent company Time Warner's political contributions went to President Obama. Francis and others that covered the story couldn't let the slight to Bush slide without criticizing the show, which is seems none of them had seen, for "incest, misogyny, and S&M." Granted, all of that stuff happens in George R.R. Martin's world, but they could have at least mentioned how cool it is.

When: May 2013
Where: Hannity
Watch the hate

You may not love Maroon 5's music, but it's tough not to like Adam Levine a little bit. He was on American Horror Story, after all.

Last summer Levine let slip, "I hate this country," when his picks were eliminated from the contest. As per usual, Fox trotted out a couple pundits to debate the offhand comment that warranted little-to-no analysis. Of course, conservative mouthpiece Michelle Fields turned Levine's comment into a dig at the troops. The segment finished off with a classless stunt wherein Hannity offered a $100 bill if liberal commentator Tamara Holder could name a conservative who hates America. Keep it classy, Fox News.

When: August 2013
Where: Hannity

What does this guy have against musicians? So, maybe you don't go in for alt country, but you have to enjoy Ryan Adams's anti-Hannity Twitter tirade. Earlier this year, Adams called out Hannity on Twitter, saying, "Your entire soul is controlled by fear and by hate. Evolve little chicken man. See reality." This really got under Hannity's skin. He dedicated almost four minutes of his show to calling out Adams, and challenging him to stop "hiding behind his rockstar make-up" and say it to his face on the show. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Adams wasn't interested in appearing on Hannity.

When: August 2011
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

The man behind Win Ben Stein's Money and the greatest series of Visine commercials of all time is a well-known conservative. As it turns out, that doesn't mean he's a Fox News lapdog. O'Reilly didn't count on Stein coming out with some pro-Obama comments regarding the recession. Stein called the stimulus program a "positive force" and pointed out that Obama "did not cause this recession."

Of course, O'Reilly wouldn't let that stand. He and his other guest, businessman Wayne Rogers, proceeded to counterpunch. Stein held his ground, saying, "There is no correlation between tax rates on millionaires...and the growth in the economy."

At this point, O'Reilly just had to cut him off, repeating, "I don't believe that for a second" until the segment came to an end, much to Papa Bear's great relief.

When: September 2003
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

Rarely do you see a guest as amused to be on The O'Reilly Factor as Tom Green. O'Reilly invited Green on his show to discuss his dislike of the then-popular Bum Fights DVD series. O'Reilly attempted to bait Green into saying he disapproves of same-sex kissing on television, as well. Green was to smart for that, quickly drawing a line between same-sex kissing and Bum Fights.

But O'Reily didn't stop there. He next attempted to drag Eminem over the coals. Tom told Bill, "I don't think you understand rap music." Then the two started cutting each other off, which tends to happen in interviews that don't go O'Reilly's way. Green finally pressed O'Reilly on why he is so adamant about discussing rap culture. Mr. O'Reilly dodged the question and condescended, "Well, you work for MTV."

When: April 2011
Where: The O'Reilly Factor
Watch the hate

Before he was a beloved contestant on Dancing with the Stars, Bill Nye was the Science Guy to a generation of school children. Nye hasn't backed off of his science advocacy, though his show is long over.

In 2011, O'Reilly dug up the one remaining meteorologist who doesn't believe in global warming to debate Nye on his show. Accuweather meteorologist Joe Bastardi and Nye duked it out. True to his Science Guy roots, Nye brought visual aids. The meteorologist responded with the classic Fox News tactic of speaking louder than the person he was debating. Nye calmly pointed out that Bastardi was using doctored statistics and O'Reilly brought the segment to an end. We're going to give The Science Guy the win on this one.

When: September, 2012
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

Even legendary newsmen aren't immune to a Bill O'Reilly bashing. Koppel came on The O'Reilly Factor and firmly stated, "I think that ideological coverage of the news, be it of the right or be it of the left, has created a political reality in this country that his bad for America." O'Reilly proved that his hubris knows no bounds, and responded to Koppel by saying, "You can't be on top for as long as the Fox News Channel has been on top and sell a product that's inferior or dishonsest. It's impossible in this country. So, therefore, I want you to re-evaluate our network, watch it a bit more and we'll talk in about a year."

Koppel calmly replied, "The millions of people are watching those of you with a particular point of view...it's business. It's operating as a business. Once upon a time you and I thought journalism was a calling."

When: December 2012
Where: Hannity

It came as a great surprise to many fans when they found out that Korean pop star Psy is a political satirist...even though "Gangnam Style" is a political satire. When news broke that the artist had recorded a song critical of the U.S., entitled "Dear America," outrage flowed openly on Fox News. The network was incensed at Psy's lyrics that begin, "Kill those—Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives."

The problem is, these lyrics are based on a bad translation. In more accurate translations, the lyrics are still certainly anti-American, but they aren't nearly as bloodthirsty. Regardless of the facts, Fox News ran with the story, and Hannity strained to link Psy's anti-Americanism and President Obama.

When: January 2013
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

Bill O'Reilly might love the weather in Hawaii, but he can't stand the state's liberalism. O'Reilly has taken a few shots at Hawaii over the years, and recently went as far as to commission a six-minute takedown of the state.

Papa Bear sent Jesse Watters to Hawaii to bash what he views as a far too liberal welfare state. Though what aired feels a lot like a less funny version of Jaywalking (which is saying a lot) than it does political commentary, it was still pretty offensive.

While wrapping up the segment, O'Reilly famously stated, "Asian people are not liberal by nature. They are usually more industrious and hard-working." The segment landed him in hot water with Asian-American groups and Hawaiian lawmakers. In typical O'Reilly fashion, the pundit refused to apologize when called to task for his ill-informed comments.

When: January 2008
Where: Fox and Friends

Video games have long been a target of Fox News. The violence, sex, and *gasp* cursing that our nation's children are subjected to is just too much for the Fox family to handle.

Back in 2008, Fox and Friends set its sights on the then-new game Mass Effect, which the team singled out for its graphic sex scenes. It turns out that they picked the wrong video game to bag on with this segment. Geoff Keighly, a video game expert and journalist with the Fuse Network, pointed out that unlike in many video games, you can play as a man or a woman, and the sexual situation that angered the Fox pundits was merely a small moment in the game. The conservative pundit they brought in for the piece, author Cooper Lawrence, admitted on-air that she hadn't actually played the game.

When: November 2012
Where: Hannity

In the Fall of 2012 at the Soul Train Awards, Jaimee Foxx clearly made a joke when he referred to Barack Obama as "our Lord and Savior." Sean Hannity, in a characteristic overreaction, opted to dedicate five minutes of his show to criticizing Foxx and Hollywood in general for fawning over Obama. The pundit used Foxx's comment to springboard into a discussion of the collapse of the moral fabric of the country. Hannity criticized Foxx and Obama for being instruments in the creation of a society in which "government becomes your religion." So, yeah, we don't think he thought Foxx's joke was funny.

When: January 2006
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

Bill O' Reilly managed to get racist immediately in his 2006 interview with Damon Dash and Cam'ron on violence in hip-hop. He reminded Cam'ron and Dash that "we're going to have a nice intelligent discussion" before they began, which he rarely does when interviewing white guests. He brought in elementary school principal Salome Thomas-El as a counter to Dash and Cam'ron. Thomas-El brought up some very fair points and Cam'ron came back with some thoughtful rebuttals. Cam'ron referred to himself as a "reporter" and pointed out that school violence is clearly influenced by cultural forces other than rap. O'Reilly, who had clearly expected an easy win in this debate, struggled through the segment. It is worth sticking around until the 6:00 minute mark when Cam'ron taunts O'Reilly, "You mad. You mad." Spoiler alert: he mad.

When: April 2008
Where: Cavuto

You are probably familiar with Tommy Chong's marijuana advocacy, but you may not know that he is an advocate for immigration reform. Though things started out affably between Chong and Cavuto, they went south fast. Cavuto groused when Chong said, "An idiot is running the country." Rather than take Chong seriously when he suggested that there should be no limit on the amount of immigrants we allow in our country, Cavuto asked him, "You're not back on that stuff you used to be on are you?" Once again, Cavuto proveed his powers of debate are someone limited, even though he isn't on any of that "stuff."

When: November 2010
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

If you want to get Bill O'Reilly mad, just say that women should be able to raise children on their own. During the promotional push for her film The Switch, Aniston said, "Women are realizing more and more knowing that they don't have to settle with a man just to have a child." Gretchen Carlson, O'Reilly's guest for the Aniston-bashing segment, fired shots immediately. She said, "This is because in her private life, she's a 41-year old single woman who's never been married ..." Though O'Reilly gently chided Carlson for that remark, Papa Bear and his guests put Aniston on blast for several more minutes. Though Aniston is used to criticism, she decided to go on ABC News to respond because she felt O'Reilly had "insulted women [raising children] on their own" in addition to herself.

When: June 2011
Where: Hannity

In his book, Primetime Propaganda, Ben Shapiro makes the shocking determination that Hollywood slants hard to the left. Shapiro began his segment with Hannity and company by claiming that if given the opportunity, he would "take [Sesame Street characters] out back and cap them." After the pundits criticize Sesame Street's support of non-gendered toys and tacit approval of "government become[ing] family," they opine for the days of conservative entertainment like The Andy Griffith Show. Allow us to speak as pop culture commentators who sometimes have to watch shows like The Andy Griffith Show, and say that even the most right wing among us couldn't possibly want a return to shows that boring.

When: January 2007
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

"Colbert, that's a French name isn't it?" O'Reilly and Colbert's long-awaited interview started out in a hilarious and unexpected manner. Those who were expecting the kind of punchy debate that O'Reilly usually has with Jon Stewart were treated to a segment that felt more at home on The Colbert Report than The O'Reilly Factor. The strangest thing is that it seems that O'Reilly is actually pretty angry at Colbert for emulating his style. After a minute or two spent debating whether or not Colbert is in the pocket of the elites, O'Reilly accused Colbert of stealing his bit. "The more I'm on, the more successful you will be," he says, and then follows this with an honestly confused, "The New York Times hates me, but they love you." We're not sure if O'Reilly understands the concept of parody.

When: March 2011
Where: Fox and Friends

After Mike Huckabee slammed Natalie Portman for being an unwed mother on Michael Medved's radio show, the former governor took to Fox News for a clarification tour to apologize for the gaffe. During his radio spot he said, Portman was "setting a bad example for young women." One of Huckabee's clarifying attempts came on Fox and Friends, where he claimed out wasn't just criticizing Natalie Portman, but single mothers in general. Thanks for clarifying, Mike.

One of the FOX News pundits defended Portman in the most antiquated, patriarchal way possible, saying "on the week she announced her pregnancy, she announced her engagement. That's what you want to see women that way, right?" Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Fox News's version of feminism.

When: April 2011
Where: Fox and Friends

Superman renounced his U.S. citizenship in the 900th issue of his comic, and Mike Huckabee was not pleased. The former governor believes this comic book is part of "a bigger trend of Americans apologizing for being Americans." DC issued a statement clarifying the move, pointing out that while Superman has shifted to a "global focus" in his fight against injustice, "he remains ... committed to his adopted home and his roots as a Kansas farm boy from Smallville." Huckabee wasn't buying it. He went on to state his fear that our country is in danger of becoming "a great big stewpot of idiocy where we forgot we are the greatest country on Earth." Yes, this tirade was inspired by a comic book.

When: May 2008
Where: Fox and Friends

Everyone's favorite morning chat show conspiracy theorists over at Fox and Friends believe Mr. Rogers poisoned the minds of a generation of children by telling them that "you're special, just for being the way you are." According to the FOX pundits, Fred Rogers forgot to remind kids to work hard, and is partially responsible for raising an entitled generation who think they deserve something "just for being who they are." A Lousiana State University professor, according to the hosts, helped raise a generation of children who expect to have their grades changed on college papers and to get a trophy at every tee-ball game. Mr. Rogers was unavailable for comment, however, as he died several years prior.

When: April 2007
Where: The O'Reilly Factor

This man cannot stop beefing with rappers. On Dutch television, Snoop announced, "Fuck Bill O'Reilly." He then claimed he would "kick his motherfuckin' ass when the interview was over." Snoop's ire was raised after O'Reilly pointed out that the rapper had been arrested a dozen times previously. O'Reilly manages about as weak a retort as possible. He asks, "Is your pool boy going to beat me up, Snoopy?" He goes on to say that he would love to have Snoop by his studio, but he should know that "the No-Spin ... has drug testing." As usual, the only person pleased with O'Reilly's weak-ass comeback is O'Reilly.

When: December 2011
Where: Follow the Money

The meanies at FOX were not happy that there is a character in the most recent Muppets movie that negatively depicts Texas Oilmen. We would be interested in seeing all of the art out there that offers a sympathetic vision of Texas Oilmen, but we digress. Guest Dan Gainor argued that "the only green that should be up on that screen should be Kermit the Frog." Not only does this ignore the eco-friendly bent that has been a part of the Muppets' culture from the beginning, but it isn't clever enough to make it into a Henson product as a throw-away gag. Gainor comes to the aid of the poor oilmen with a defense that is actually funny. He says, "Oil means for most people ... fuel to light a hospital, fuel your home, fuel for an ambulance to get you to a hospital ..." We've posted the Muppets' amazing response to FOX before, but damn it, we'll post it every time we get the chance.