Broadway Legend Audra McDonald Slams Bill O'Reilly For His ‘Well Fed’ Slaves Comment

Last Monday, on the first night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, First Lady Michelle Obama stole the show with a powerful and positive speech that challenged GOP-nominee Donald Trump’s hopeless vision of America. It’s most poignant moment came when Obama talked about being part of the first black family to live in the White House. “I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves,” Obama said. “And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent black women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.”

Although Obama’s speech was widely praised across the media, Fox News’ conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly took her to task on the speech claiming that “Slaves that worked there were well fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government, which stopped hiring slave labor in 1802,” he said. “However, the feds did not forbid subcontractors from using slave labor. So, Michelle Obama is essentially correct in citing slaves as builders of the White House, but there were others working, as well.” These revolting statements by O’Reilly drew an immediate backlash not only for negating Obama’s experience in the White House, but claiming that slaves were given fair treatment.

This morning, six-time Tony-award-winning actress Audra McDonald slammed O’Reilly on Twitter with a much-needed history lesson.

So far, O’Reilly hasn’t backed down from his statements: