O'Reilly's surprising views on Rachel Maddow (and less so, gay marriage)

In an interview with Mediaite's Andrew Kirell, Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly pays a pretty solid compliment to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

Credit: Getty Images for TIME

"Rachel Maddow does a good job," O'Reilly says. "She is honest in her belief system. She doesn’t seem to want to lob personal attacks. ... I think Maddow is sincere and honestly tries to convince people of her beliefs."

O'Reilly isn't the first person at Fox Maddow has charmed to some extent. Roger Ailes, Fox's CEO, wrote a blurb for her 2012 book "Drift," that said the book was "worth reading." Shepard Smith, another on-air Fox personality, said in a 2013 interview that he's "a fan of Rachel's."

Another newsworthy bit from O'Reilly's interview with Mediaite, his views on gay marriage, which seem to evolve like Pokemon: "... I am a traditional guy. I think that the family unit should be encouraged on all levels, and as long as the society acknowledges that heterosexual marriage is the 'norm,' then it doesn’t bother me if other people come into the tent. We are a country that’s supposed to give people an equal shot at happiness. If it makes gay people happy to be recognized, I really don’t have a problem. As long as society upholds the traditional as, look, if you can get this, this is a strength."