Geraldo Rivera apologizes for ’embarrassing’ Bette Midler

Geraldo Rivera on Friday apologized to Bette Midler for “embarrassing her” during an incident in which she says he groped her, as well as for his “tawdry” 1991 memoir.

The Fox News personality’s memoir, “Exposing Myself,” detailed a number of sexual encounters that he said were consensual.

27 years ago I wrote a tawdry book depicting consensual events in 1973-45 years ago-I’ve deeply regretted its distasteful & disrespectful tone & have refrained from speaking about it-I’m embarrassed & profoundly sorry to those mentioned-I have & again apologize to anyone offended

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) December 1, 2017

Rivera’s comments come the day Midler resurfaced a clip from a 1991 interview where she detailed an incident where she says Rivera and his producer drugged and groped her.

Midler tweeted out the clip with a caption demanding Rivera apologize for the incident.

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

{mosads}

Rivera was already under fire for a series of tweets defending Matt Lauer after he was fired from NBC News over sexual harassment and assault accusations. Rivera apologized later for the tweets, which called news a “flirty business” and said that the 2017 wave of sexual misconduct accusations is leading people to “criminalize courtship.”

In a second tweet on Friday, Rivera apologized to Midler for “embarrassing her,” noting that he recalls the incident “much differently.”

Although I recall the time @BetteMidler has alluded to much differently than she, that does not change the fact that she has a right to speak out & demand an apology from me, for in the very least, publically embarrassing her all those years ago. Bette, I apologize.

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) December 1, 2017