Steele told XBIZ that she had been looking forward to sharing her experiences and research about relationships to an audience of divorce attorneys, but that she completely understands why O'Reilly changed his mind.
The seminar was to be entitled "Sex and Love — Making Your Time Away From the Office Really Count and How Not to Wind up as One of Your Clients."
"I totally understand his point," Steele said. "I respect the association on both points — for hiring me and making the decision to cancel. The minute the media popped in, they got a little scared."
In a statement, O'Reilly confirmed that the unexpected media attention caused a minor uproar. He said it had been his idea to hire her to bring a fresh perspective to the summer meeting.
"What sounded like a lighthearted idea has turned into too much of a newsworthy item," O'Reilly said. "And frankly we didn't have the same spin when I made the decision back in January. What she allegedly has been trying to do in recent years sounded like an interesting topic, but it's just too hot for our group right now."
In recent years Steele has moved from adult entertainer to relationship and sex counselor, holding seminars and speaking about how relationships evolve and ways to prevent the business world from weakening home and family life. She was planning to address this at the "Sex and Love" seminar.
Steele said it still was amazing that she had been hired in the first place, and was hoping to bring some light and some fun to the situation. She also said she speaks in a "PG" tone that is easy for attendees to relate to.
"I'm not intimidating," Steele said, "but when you go online and Google 'Sydnee Steele,' then I can be intimidating."
Steele said she's happy to have been considered and that it shows she's built a reputation for being a very powerful businesswoman, not just an adult star.
