Former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly joined Sean Hannity on his radio program Monday for a rare public conversation between the two conservative stars, during which Hannity recommended that O'Reilly come back to the cable news network.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We crushed CNN and MSNBC. Crushed them," O'Reilly said to Hannity as the two discussed what each perceive as an organized, well-funded "agenda from the left" to take down conservative media voices.



"Do you want to come back [to Fox News]? I think you should come back," Hannity said.



"I'm at the beach every day. You want to bring me back into the swamp?" O'Reilly asked.



“I think you want back in the swamp, and I think you’d love it back in the swamp," replied Hannity. "I know your fans would like you back on too, and there’s not a day that goes by that people don’t ask me, ‘How’s O’Reilly doing? When is he coming back?’



"Would you consider at some date coming back to Fox?”



"I don't know," O'Reilly replied. "I have to get this legal stuff done. I have to get this investigation done."



O'Reilly was referring to an investigation he revealed he's conducting into what he believes was a concerted effort to get him ousted from Fox News.



“We're going to be very precise," O'Reilly said, adding it will be based on “stone-cold facts."



"What we're going to uncover is shocking," he added, without going into detail.

The two men were almost never seen together on Fox News and were rumored to not be friendly with each other.

"I do have a regret. I think we were at each other’s throats a little too much," Hannity said, adding, "Don't you regret not being nicer to me? You should’ve been nicer to me.”

O'Reilly laughed it off while revealing the two men once went to a Tom Jones concert in Atlantic City together.

O'Reilly also praised Hannity for the way he handled a Media Matters-led advertisers boycott by going on the offensive on his radio and television programs as well as social media.

"You brought it right to the folks," O'Reilly said. "You're a lot smarter than I am, Hannity. I should've done exactly what you did."



O'Reilly lost more than 50 advertisers after a New York Times story on April 1 reported that he paid five women $13 million in payouts over allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.



The longtime cable-news-ratings king was fired from Fox News on April 19.