Suggesting such hostility is not in "the spirit of America," O'Reilly insisted the proposed protest is all about DeGeneres.

"If you remember with the McCarthy era of the 1950s and they were trying to hunt down communist sympathizers and not let them work and put them on a blacklist…what is the difference between the McCarthy era of the '50s and the Million Moms saying, 'Hey, JCPenney and all you other stores, don't you hire gay people. Don't you dare.' What's the difference?"

Rio countered the boycott was necessary because DeGeneres has "chosen to act out her lesbian lifestyle and marry her partner and what that represents."

"People that believe that marriage is between a man and woman and children should not be exposed and propagandized in homosexuality have a moral problem with that," she said. "It's disturbing to them. They are trying to say to JCPenney please don't do that."