Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)

Bill O'Reilly
O'Reilly in 2010
Born
William James O'Reilly Jr.

(1949-09-10) September 10, 1949 (age 74)
New York City, U.S.
EducationMarist College (BA)
Boston University (MA)
Harvard University (MPA)
Occupations
  • Television host
  • political commentator
  • author
Years active1975–present
Political partyRepublican (before 2001)
Independence (2001–present)
Spouse
Maureen McPhilmy
(m. 1996; div. 2011)
Children2
Websitebilloreilly.com

William James O'Reilly Jr.[1] (born September 10, 1949) is an American conservative commentator,[2][3] journalist, author, and television host.

O'Reilly's broadcasting career began during the late 1970s and 1980s, when he reported for local television stations in the United States and later for CBS News and ABC News. He anchored the tabloid television program Inside Edition from 1989 to 1995. O'Reilly joined the Fox News Channel in 1996 and hosted The O'Reilly Factor until 2017. The O'Reilly Factor had been the highest-rated cable news show for 16 years, and he was described by media analyst Howard Kurtz as "the biggest star in the 20-year history at Fox News" at the time of his ousting.[4][5][6][7][8]

In early 2017, The New York Times reported that he and Fox News had paid five women approximately $13 million to settle various sexual misconduct lawsuits, which led to the network terminating O'Reilly's employment and him being dropped by the United Talent Agency and literary agency WME.[9] O'Reilly began hosting the No Spin News podcast after his dismissal from Fox News. No Spin News has since expanded into a television program, first airing on Newsmax, then on The First.[10][11][12][13][9] He is the author of numerous New York Times best selling books and hosted The Radio Factor (2002–2009).[14]

  1. ^ "The Irish Factor". Finding Your Roots. Season 3. WETA-TV. January 12, 2016. PBS. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  2. ^ Stelter, Brian (January 6, 2011). "Bill O'Reilly to Interview President Obama". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  3. ^ Kurtz, Howard (January 15, 2007). "Bill O'Reilly And NBC, Shouting to Make Themselves Seen?". The Washington Post. p. C01.
  4. ^ Kludt, Tom (April 20, 2017). "How Fox News broke the Bill O'Reilly story to its viewers". CNN. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  5. ^ "Bill O'Reilly's 'Culture Warrior'". Fox News. October 3, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
  6. ^ "Bill O'Reilly's Bio". Fox News. April 29, 2004. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  7. ^ Boedeker, Hal (July 28, 2009). "Fox News dominates July ratings; Bill O'Reilly again tops – and Nancy Grace makes impressive gains". The Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  8. ^ "The State of the News Media". Project for Excellence in Journalism. Pew Research Center. 2009. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  9. ^ a b Steel, Emily; Schmidt, Michael S. (October 21, 2017). "Bill O'Reilly Settled New Harassment Claim, Then Fox Renewed His Contract". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  10. ^ James, Meg; Pierson, David (April 24, 2017). "O'Reilly returns with a smaller soapbox, vowing 'the truth will come out'". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ Steel, Emily; Schmidt, Michael S. (April 19, 2017). "Bill O'Reilly Is Forced Out at Fox News". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  12. ^ Kurtz, Howard (April 19, 2017). "Fox News drops Bill O'Reilly in wake of harassment allegations". Fox News. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  13. ^ Steel, Emily; Schmidt, Michael (April 20, 2017). "Bill O'Reilly Payout Could Be as High as $25 Million". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Hinckley, David (December 5, 2008). "Bill O'Reilly is really quitting radio gig". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2009.