Jason Bateman has a message for Bill O'Reilly

The Jason Bateman-Jennifer Aniston parenting dramedy "The Switch" has generated a war of words with Bill O'Reilly  that's been interesting in a culture-wars sort of way (while not, incidentally, being exactly hurtful to the film's publicity efforts).

After Aniston, whose character in the movie conceives a child through artificial insemination, told reporters that "women are realizing it more and more, knowing that they don't have to settle with a man just to have that child," O'Reilly responded with a barb of his own. Aniston's comments, he said on his Fox News show, are "throwing a message out to 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds that hey, you don't need a guy, you don't need a dad."

At the film's premiere last night, Bateman was not shy about standing up for his costar and questioning the cable host's world view. "She said something that isn't really shocking. She's a current woman," Bateman told us at the afterparty. "And he's reading from a very old book."  (For full premiere coverage, check out our colleague Matt Donnelly's report at The Times' Ministry of Gossip blog.)

The dramatic comedy, in which Bateman plays the best friend to Aniston's single mother, deals as much with questions of male responsibility as it does with single motherhood. But it's this second issue that's gained cultural traction.

Bateman said that O'Reilly's comments ran counter not only to Bateman's own values but what he thought the host stood for. "He has this TV show that's supposed to be supporting diversity and the many different ways we have of doing things in this country. And the fact that he chose to say that one way is not right seems pretty antithetical to that," the star said.

He continued. "She was gracious as always in responding to it, but the way he went about it seemed like a pretty unsubtle play for ratings."

After his initial roundelay last week, O'Reilly has yet to respond to Aniston, who subsequently told People magazine that "for those [women] who've not yet found their Bill O'Reilly, I'm just glad science has provided a few other options." Given the attention O'Reilly has put on a film he disagrees with, maybe he's decided it's wiser to stay silent.

-- Steven Zeitchik

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

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Comments

[Paul]

How awesome is that. Jason is the man. I liked him even before "Arrested Development," but now I like him even more! That was a stand-up thing to do, and he did it with great aplomb. He uses his words carefully.

Prediction: Jennifer Aniston will appreciate this and they may even start dating. Judging from their relations with the media, they are both very smart people so the fit is good...

[Lynn Hubbard]

To Justin Bateman's comment, Jennifer Anniston DOES NOT speak for all women. As far as Bill O'Reilly reading from a very old book, well he just might be. There is an old book I too read from and it is called The Bible. The Word of God is very specific and God's design was and is for one man and one woman in marriage to bring up children together. Outside of that, why would any woman take advise from her? She has been through more men since Brad, I'm surprised she knows which way is up. Funny she wasn't talking babies when Brad wanted them! SMH

[shirley Gallagher]

Bill O'rielly with his checker pass should never talk about any one, he seem to think that what he did made him a BIG MAN.

[Reasonable Conservative]

When I heard this, I thought of our fallen troops and the war widows with children, and how much contempt Fox News, and Limbaugh must have for them. Its really time for the Libertarians to take over the second party spot and put the elephant to sleep.

[BillytheGoat]

Jason is a hyprocrite so then why is he married with a wife if he thinks Bill's comments are from an old book.Why does't Bateman have a kid out of wedlock.Because he said in an interview he didn't want to have a kid without marriage even long before he did that horrid movie The Switch.