Bette Midler: Geraldo Rivera Hasn’t Apologized For Groping Me

MANHATTAN, NY — Actress Bette Midler on Thursday tweeted a clip of a 1991 interview in which she told talk show host Barbara Walters that TV news reporter Geraldo Rivera drugged and groped her years ago.

“Tomorrow is my birthday. I feel like this video was a gift from the universe to me,” Midler tweeted. “Geraldo may have apologized for his tweets supporting Matt Lauer, but he has yet to apologize for this. #MeToo.”

In the interview clip, Midler told Walters, "Geraldo and his producer came to do an interview with me, in the ’70s, the early ’70s. And this was when he was very, sort of, hot. And he and his producer left the crew in the other room, they pushed me into my bathroom, they broke two poppers and pushed them under my nose and proceeded to grope me."

“Groped?” a shocked Walters asked.

Midler responded: "Groped me. I did not offer myself up on the altar of Geraldo Rivera. He was ... he was unseemly."

"Poppers" is slang for the alkyl nitrites class of drugs.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I feel like this video was a gift from the universe to me. Geraldo may have apologized for his tweets supporting Matt Lauer, but he has yet to apologize for this. #MeToo pic.twitter.com/TkcolFWfA2
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) November 30, 2017

Rivera drew criticism on Wednesday when he appeared to defend ousted “Today” show host Matt Lauer on Twitter. “Sad about @MLauer great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me. News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation. What about #GarrisonKeillor?” Rivera tweeted.

In a statement, Fox News said about Rivera’s tweet: "Geraldo's tweets do not reflect the views of Fox News or its management. We were troubled by his comments and are addressing them with him."

He later sought to clarify his tweet, adding: “Reaction to my tweets today on #sexharassment makes clear I didn't sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem long hidden-Harassers are deviants who deserve what is coming to them-Often victims are too frightened to come forward in a timely fashion-I humbly apologize.”

Photo Credit: Photo by Richard Shotwell, left, and Rich Fury/Invision