Geraldo Rivera Apologizes to Bette Midler for Groping Allegation -- Sorta

Of course, Rivera said he remembers it differently, so the apology may not be very effective.

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

The apology comes after Midler shared her #MeToo moment by calling Geraldo on Twitter Thursday morning for allegedly groping her in the '70s. A few hours later, the 72-year-old singer went into more detail by resurfacing her 1991 interview with Barbara Walters, where she first made the allegation public, which was already making its rounds on social media after Rivera faced backlash for saying Matt Lauer was a "gentleman" after he was terminated for "inappropriate sexual behavior."

In the interview, Walters and Midler were discussing Rivera's autobiography in which he alleges an affair with Midler. Initially laughing it off by saying his "penis went to his head," Midler got serious and said that she was assaulted by Rivera and a producer when she first met him. She was hesitant at first to tell the story, for fear she'd "get in trouble," and after she was finished, Walters didn't follow up, rather saying, "Let's go onto other things."

As Midler recalled at the time, the alleged assault happened in the 1970s. "[Rivera and his producer] pushed me into my bathroom, they broke two poppers and pushed them under my nose and proceeded to grope me," she said.

Midler raised her arms and added passionately. "I did not alter myself up on the altar of Geraldo Rivera," saying that "his behavior was unseemly."

In a series of tweets after Lauer's firing, Rivera wondered if the current harassment scandal dominating Hollywood and other industries is a case of "criminalizing courtship," describing news as a "flirty business." After Fox News condemned his comments, Rivera later tweeted an apology in which he said, "I didn't sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem long hidden...I humbly apologize."