After replaying a clip from his controversial Sept. 21 interview with Donald Trump and following a five-minute discussion with Wilson about the character of the nation's home builders, O'Reilly conceded that he had gone overboard on the earlier program in describing the industry as being “corrupt.”

“I will apologize,” O'Reilly said in his interview with Wilson. “My remarks were too broad to Donald Trump and I was insensitive to the fact that I think probably 80 percent of your industry is honest and hard-working, and I will apologize, Mr. Wilson.”

During the show, O'Reilly also noted that he supports “working people” and said, “I'm with your organization (NAHB).” He added, “I think that these people are the foundation of America.”

The on-the-air apology ends a storm of protest from homebuilders, who sent a barrage of e-mails to O'Reilly over the past few weeks.

“I greatly appreciate Bill O'Reilly's willingness to reflect on his earlier comments and to invite me on his show to set the record straight for the industry,” Wilson said following his appearance. “His apology to the industry was both gracious and sincere. The fact that Bill O'Reilly was willing to correct the record and concede that he was wrong speaks volumes about the man's character.”.