NEW YORK — Bill O'Reilly's appearance on The View Thursday morning was hardly smooth sailing.
The show's panel got into a heated discussion with O'Reilly over the proposed Islamic center near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Fox News Channel host argued that it would be "inappropriate" to have a Muslim place of worship located so close to Ground Zero.
When pressed why he considers Park51 inappropriate, O'Reilly replied: "Because Muslims killed us on 9/11."
After the comment, co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg stormed off the stage in protest, while the show's creator, Barbara Walters, attempted to calm nerves.
"I want to say something to all of you," Walters told the audience. "You have just seen what should not happen. We should be able to have discussions without washing our hands and screaming and walking off stage. I love my colleagues, but that should not have happened."
Walters then turned to O'Reilly and said, "Now let me just say to you, in a calmer voice, it was extremists. You cannot take a whole religion and demean them."
"If anyone felt that I was demeaning all Muslims, I apologize," replied O'Reilly.
Behar and Goldberg returned to the stage shortly after the apology.
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