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 75)
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
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William James O'Reilly Jr.[1] (born September 10, 1949) is an American conservative commentator, 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, the former of which earned O'Reilly two Emmy Awards and two National Headliner Awards for excellence in reporting.[2] He anchored the tabloid television program Inside Edition from 1989 to 1995. O'Reilly joined the Fox News Channel in 1996 and hosted the news commentary program 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 departure.[8]

During his time at Fox News, he appeared several times as a guest on the Comedy Central talk show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Together he and Jon Stewart debated for a charity event, The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium at George Washington University in 2012.[9] O'Reilly interviewed President Barack Obama before Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.[10] He wrote numerous The New York Times bestselling historical novels including Killing Lincoln (2011), Killing Kennedy (2012), Killing Jesus (2013), and Killing Reagan (2015), which were adapted into National Geographic television films in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016. Two of the films earned O'Reilly nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.[11] He also hosted The Radio Factor from 2002 to 2009.[12]

In 2017, O'Reilly was dismissed from Fox News following reports of five instances of sexual misconduct from The New York Times.[13] Since then, O'Reilly has hosted the No Spin News podcast where it has also expanded into a television program, first airing on Newsmax, then on The First.[18]

  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. ^ "Bill O'Reilly: Why Personal Sacrifice And Self-Discipline Are Key to Reviving America". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Kludt, Tom (April 20, 2017). "How Fox News broke the Bill O'Reilly story to its viewers". CNN. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. ^ "Bill O'Reilly's 'Culture Warrior'". Fox News. October 3, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
  5. ^ "Bill O'Reilly's Bio". Fox News. April 29, 2004. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ [3][4][5][6][7]
  9. ^ "Bill O'Reilly, Jon Stewart Debate In 'Rumble In The Air-Conditioned Auditorium'". Huffington Post. October 6, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Bill O'Reilly: Obama interview will go down in 'journalistic history'". Politico. July 17, 2024. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  11. ^ "Bill O'Reilly - Emmy Awards, Nominations, and Wins". Television Academy. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  14. ^ James, Meg; Pierson, David (April 24, 2017). "O'Reilly returns with a smaller soapbox, vowing 'the truth will come out'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  15. ^ Steel, Emily; Schmidt, Michael S. (April 19, 2017). "Bill O'Reilly Is Forced Out at Fox News". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  16. ^ Kurtz, Howard (April 19, 2017). "Fox News drops Bill O'Reilly in wake of harassment allegations". Fox News. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  17. ^ Steel, Emily; Schmidt, Michael (April 20, 2017). "Bill O'Reilly Payout Could Be as High as $25 Million". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  18. ^ [14][15][16][17][13]