CANR
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WEBSITE: http://www.billoreilly.com/
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NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: LRC 2016
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born September 10, 1949, in New York, NY; son of William James, Sr. and Winifred Angela O’Reilly; married Maureen E. McPhilmy (a public relations executive), November 2, 1996 (divorced, September 1, 2011); children: Madeline, Spencer.
EDUCATION:Marist College, B.A.; studied at the University of London; Boston University, M.A. (broadcast journalism); Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, M.A. (public policy), 1996.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Journalist. Monsignor Pace High School, teacher; reporter for television stations, including WNEP-TV, Scranton-Wilkes Barr, PA, WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX, KMGH-TV, Denver, CO, WFSB-TV, Hartford, CT, and WCBS-TV, New York, NY; Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) Network, correspondent in Buenos Aires, Argentina; anchor for CBS and American Broadcasting Company (ABC) affiliates, Boston, MA; KATV-TV, Portland OR, anchor; ABC News, correspondent, beginning 1986, appeared on World News more than one hundred times; Inside Edition, anchor, 1989-95; Boston Herald, opinion columnist; The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, anchor and executive producer, 1996-2017; No Spin News (podcast), creator, 2017–. Has reported from numerous countries, including Japan, Romania, France, Vietnam, Kuwait, Berlin, Brazil, Australia, and England.
AVOCATIONS:Touch football, diving, collecting American historical documents.
AWARDS:Dallas Press Club Award; Emmy Award, for coverage of a skyjacking on KMGH-TV; Emmy Award, for investigation of corrupt city marshals on WCBS-TV; National Headliner Award for excellence in investigative journalism; named Reporter of the Year, New York Crime Victims.
RELIGION: Roman Catholic.WRITINGS
Contributor of articles to periodicals, including Newsweek, Parade, and New York Times.
The Last Days of Jesus was translated into Spanish. Killing Jesus was adapted for a television movie on the National Geographic Channel in 2015.
SIDELIGHTS
Emmy award-winning Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly is known for his take-no-prisoners interviewing style as well as for a number of works of both fiction and nonfiction. O’Reilly used a television network as the backdrop for his 1998 debut murder-mystery Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Murder and Television.
The book, which was reissued in 2004, portrays the murders of two network personnel, one a vice president and the other a White House correspondent. The police suspect that the murders are the related work of a serial killer, and an enthusiastic and aggressive young reporter named Ashley Van Buren follows the investigation led by New York Police detective Tommy O’Malley. O’Malley falls for Van Buren, but she is more interested in one of the prime suspects, a rich ex-anchor named Shannon Michaels. Unfortunately the networks have, through their sleazy dealings, made many people unhappy in the past, and the list of suspects is extensive.
One Publishers Weekly critic, reviewing Those Who Trespass, called O’Reilly’s debut a “user friendly novel replete with direct dialog, buzz words, war stories, a satisfying police subplot, and nifty TV dirt.” In a 2004 Publishers Weekly review, a writer commented: “The plot is simplistic and the characters veer toward stereotype … but the novel engages despite its flaws.” While some reviewers felt some of the characters were extraneous, that the network setting was praised as an interesting backdrop for a murder story. In her review for Entertainment Weekly, Jennifer Reese stated the book was “flimsy, tin-eared, super-steamy,” but went on to call it an “oh-so-readable thriller.”
In The O’Reilly Factor: The Good, Bad, and Completely Ridiculous in American Life, O’Reilly expounds on some of his favorite pet peeves and hot-button issues from politics to money and dating and places in between. Rex Roberts, writing in Insight on the News dubbed this work “part autobiography, part diatribe, part self-help manual.” O’Reilly punctuates his essays on various topics with sidebar musing called “talking points” and “ridiculous notes.” Roberts noted that “O’Reilly has nothing new to say, really, but he has a knack for making common sense seem like a revolutionary philosophy.” Library Journal reviewer Judy Solberg, on the other hand, noted that while viewers of O’Reilly’s television show might “find the book entertaining … serious readers will be annoyed by O’Reilly’s choppy writing style and clearly pompous tone.”
O’Reilly returns with his opinions in tact with The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America. In addition to his own opinion pieces on issues and personalities, he also excerpts interviews from his television show segment from which the book takes its title, cobbling together a debate of sorts on important topics from capital punishment to pederasts. Library Journal contributor Heath Madom felt that while O’Reilly’s “sanctimonious tone can be tiresome,” he also “offers many solid arguments.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer found this book at once “articulate, bombastic, scornful, witty, iconoclastic, passionate, persuasive and sarcastic.” For a Kirkus Reviews critic, this work offers “hammer strokes of cocky bombast that give off a bodiless thump as often as a full-throated truth.”
In Who’s Looking Out for You?, O’Reilly “directs his invective against the many unscrupulous people deliberately taking advantage of the American public,” according to USA Today reviewer Raymond L. Fischer. He goes after the Immigration and Naturalization Service for not securing the U.S. border with Mexico; he lambasts the media for its entertainment that glorifies violence; and he inveighs against lawyers and the American justice system, among other favorite targets. Fischer noted: “People either love or hate O’Reilly—there is no middle ground. However, considering the popularity of his television and radio programs and the best-seller status achieved by his books, he must be doing something right.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer similarly observed that “despite his confrontational, some might say merciless, style, [O’Reilly] makes his readers and viewers feel that he is looking out for them.”
Writing with Charles Flowers, O’Reilly offers advice for young readers on topics including sex, the Internet, friends, and family in The O’Reilly Factor for Kids: A Survival Guide for America’s Families. Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper noted that O’Reilly goes into a “Dutch-uncle mode” in this advice book that is “pithy and direct but also patronizing.” New York Times Book Review contributor Michael Newman observed that The O’Reilly Factor for Kids is “best understood not as a useful guide for adolescents, although O’Reilly’s attempts to be cool are genuine, even touching.” Instead, Newman noted, it is “best understood as an extension of the Bill O’Reilly brand and, to a lesser degree, a glimpse into the Bill O’Reilly psyche, which don’t always overlap.”
O’Reilly argues in Culture Warrior that the real life-and-death battle America is waging is not with international terrorists but between traditionalists (as O’Reilly defines himself) and what he terms secular progressives who want to change American culture. Among his targets here are the ACLU and financier George Soros. The culture wars are, for O’Reilly, more important than the political battles between liberals and conservatives. “Fans of O’Reilly will cheer; detractors will cringe,” observed Booklist critic Vanessa Bush. A Publishers Weekly reviewer was even less enthusiastic about this title, noting: “More resentful and self-pitying than feisty, O’Reilly may be suffering from battle fatigue.”
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, O’Reilly’s 2008 book, is, “while dotted with enough childhood anecdotes to qualify it as a memoir, … essentially a self-help tract,” according to New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin, who further quipped that the book is “O’Reilly’s effort to help you become more like Mr. O’Reilly.” O’Reilly blends opinion pieces with memoir about growing up on Long Island and in the Catholic Church.
Working with historian Martin Dugard, O’Reilly penned three books about momentous deaths. The first, Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever, is a “fast-paced narrative history,” according to a Kirkus Reviews contributor, that looks at the weeks leading up to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The authors examine events from several viewpoints, including that of Lincoln and of his killer, John Wilkes Booth, using not only fictional dialogue, but also interior monologue in an attempt to add more of a thriller nature to the history.
For the Kirkus Reviews critic this is an “entertaining tale that neither adds to the vast bulk of Lincoln scholarship nor challenges the established theories.” A higher assessment was offered by Library Journal reviewer Michael Farrell, who noted: “This book is not for academics but may appeal to readers who enjoy fast-paced, conjectural popular history.” Other reviewers, including Progressive writer Ian Murphy, took umbrage at the use of undocumented interior thought, noting that “Booth’s inner thoughts and dialogue … are especially grating additions.” A Publishers Weekly contributor similarly complained of “inaccuracies” and “anachronims,” and also noted that the authors continue to propound a conspiracy theory that the secretary of war was involved in the plot, even though most historians reject the idea, as the authors themselves admit in the book.
O’Reilly and Dugard apply the same technique in Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot, reconstructing the events around the assassination in Dallas in 1963 of President John F. Kennedy. O’Reilly and Dugard provide an overview of the Kennedy years, including the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis, and the president’s womanizing ways, as well as a coverage of events in Dallas and a profile of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Writing in the New York Times, Maslin noted that the authors have an inherent problem with this work, as so much has been written about Kennedy’s death and the public is very well aware of all the details. Thus, Maslin noted that the book is “lively, but not innately suspenseful.” Maslin further observed that the authors made up for this by “packing in as much volatile language as possible.” Maslin added: “However shameless it may be, the book picks up strength as it heads for its date with destiny.” For a Kirkus Reviews contributor, Killing Kennedy is “quick, gossipy and sure to please Kennedy buffs, but the newsroom attitude toward the story will leave academics wanting.” Murphy thought that this book reads “much like the Warren Commission meets a particularly weak episode of Law & Order: Presidential Victims Unit.”
O’Reilly and Dugard complete their unofficial trilogy with Killing Jesus: A History. In this retelling they recount the events around the killing of one of the most important men in history, Jesus of Nazareth. Again, the authors take the reader into the time leading up to the crucifixion, and they provide an overview of the life and times of Jesus and of the Roman world in which he grew up. A film adaptation of the book appeared on the National Geographic network.
Writing in USA Today, Bob Minzesheimer felt that O’Reilly and Dugard “have nothing original to say about Jesus or the Jewish leaders who pushed their Roman rulers to execute the young troublemaker and blasphemer.” Online Daily Beast reviewer Candida Moss was not much impressed with this work, either, writing: “The methodology of this book is impossible to divine. O’Reilly says he wants ‘to separate fact from myth’ but then never tells us how he does this. The rationale seems to be: include everything until you can’t, then plump for the good bits.”
Kennedy’s Last Days: The Assassination That Defined a Generation is an adaptation of Killing Kennedy that is geared toward a younger audience. In this volume, O’Reilly provides much of the same information, but omits facts about Kennedy’s sexual relationships. In chronological order, he tells of Kennedy’s journey from commander of a submarine called the PT-109 to commander-in-chief of the United States. O’Reilly highlights the issues that Kennedy faced as president, including a growing movement in favor of civil rights and conflict in southeast Asia. A profile of Lee Harvey Oswald, Kennedy’s murderer, is included in the volume. The book contains numerous photographs of Kennedy, his family, Oswald, other notable figures of the era, and historical events that occurred during Kennedy’s life.
Mark Letcher, reviewer in Voice of Youth Advocates, commented: “The book can serve as an effective research source for students, or simply as an engaging read in its own right.” Booklist critic, Ilene Cooper, described the volume as “a highly readable addition to Kennedy shelves.” “The melodrama is laid on with a trowel, but it’s nevertheless a thoroughly documented, visually rich presentation of the official version,” asserted a contributor to Kirkus Reviews. Mary Mueller, writing in School Library Journal, remarked: “The popularity of the adult title will drive interest, but this book is strong enough to draw its own audience.”
O’Reilly again collaborated with Dugard to write Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II’s Most Audacious General. In the book, the authors suggest that Patton was murdered in his hospital room following a car crash in Europe during World War II. In an interview with Don Imus on the Imus in the Morning radio program, O’Reilly explained the controversy surrounding Patton’s death. He stated: “Most Americans do not know. Patton was paralyzed in a car accident one day before he was supposed to come back to the United States from the European theater. One day. He went to the hospital, he was recovering, drinking cognac and laughing with the nurses. He was still paralyzed, partially, and the next morning, he is dead. And then they did not do an autopsy. And then all of the reports of the car accident disappeared. All of the witnesses disappeared. And they put him in the ground as fast as possible in Luxembourg.” O’Reilly went on to describe Patton’s character to Imus, stating: “Patton was uncontrollable. He wanted to fight. And he often disobeyed orders. And he caused a lot of trouble, so that the political machine of World War II did not like that.” O’Reilly continued: “Patton is a brilliant man. He is a great American. But he did bad things. And Eisenhower did bad things. We tell you the good and the bad. And that’s why Patton’s book is going to be really controversial. But it was fun to write, and people should know what happened there.” O’Reilly told Jocelyn McClurg, contributor to USA Today: “We found compelling evidence” that Patton was assassinated at the order of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union. In the same interview with McClurg, O’Reilly commented on the book, which he claimed “people who do not necessarily like history will enjoy.” O’Reilly also discussed the book’s provocative title with McClurg. He stated: “I’m a snappy guy. I do thinks in a flamboyant way. I want to get your attention.” O’Reilly and Dugard support their supposition that Patton was assassinated with reports from American spies, including Stephan Skubik. They suggest that William J. Donovan, a notorious spy, was part of the assassination plot.
Robert M. Citino, contributor to World War II, described Killing Patton as “a book that rekindles every rumor, reports every piece of second- and third-hand gossip as truth, and regurgitates every discredited cliché about World War II.” Citino added: “Even without the conspiracy silliness, Killing Patton should trouble anyone who has even a passing familiarity with World War II.” On the other hand, an Internet Bookwatch reviewer suggested that the book featured “a solid profile of an extraordinary military commander.”
Similar to Kennedy’s Last Days, The Last Days of Jesus: His Life and Times is a version of O’Reilly and Dugard’s Killing Jesus written for younger readers. O’Reilly begins the book by asserting that the information contained within is based on fact. He also includes a directory of important figures in the life and death of Jesus. O’Reilly criticized the Roman government, of which Herod Antipas was the regional leader of Judea. He claims that Herod’s taxing of the people led to unrest in the region. O’Reilly discusses Jesus’s death on the cross and explains how the cross became a symbol of Christianity. The book contain illustrations and photos depicting historical sites.
“It’s hard to see the value of this iteration,” asserted a writer in Kirkus Reviews. Ann W. Moore, reviewer in School Library Journal, described The Last Days of Jesus as an “ineptly condensed version of O’Reilly’s bestselling adult book Killing Jesus. ” Of O’Reilly, Moore suggested: “His writing can’t save the book—he annoyingly switches between present and past tense.”
In 2015 O’Reilly published Hitler’s Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World’s Most Notorious Dictator. The account examines the disintegration of the Third Reich with a mix of text and photographs that show notable figures of World War II. O’Reilly pays particular attention to the roles of Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, Hess, Bormann, and Hitler. The book also looks at the human element of the Nazi Party’s downfall, illustrating the widespread homelessness across Europe and the poor conditions surrounding wounded soldiers. O’Reilly chronicles the role that the Soviets played in approaching from the East and considers a range of significant aspects that led to the Allies winning the war, including disease, the use of cyanide, the notion of racial purity, and the Battle of the Bulge. Writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, Mary Ellen Snodgrass found the coverage of the concentration camps to be “factual without being grisly.” Snodgrass concluded by saying that Hitler’s Last Days “is highly recommended for junior high and public libraries.”
O’Reilly published The Day the President Was Shot in 2016, an attempt to present the information offered in Killing Reagan for younger readers. The book sets the stage to show how and why President Reagan was shot just a few months into his presidency. It also considers how this event changed the way the president was subsequently able to interact with the populace. In a review in Voice of Youth Advocates, Lisa Martincik commented that “this title will be of interest to history buffs, as well as young adults interested in presidential life.”
In 2017, Fox News executives cancelled the The O’Reilly Factor amid numerous sexual harassment allegations against O’Reilly.
BIOCRIT
BOOKS
Lawrence, Ken, compiler, The World According to Bill O’Reilly: An Unauthorized Portrait in His Own Words, Andrews McMeel Publishing (Kansas City, MO), 2005.
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 15, 1998, Mary Frances Wilkens, review of Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Murder and Television, p. 1206; September 15, 2001, Mary Carroll, review of The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America, p. 163; August, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of The O’Reilly Factor for Kids: A Survival Guide for America’s Families, p. 1867; September 1, 2006, Vanessa Bush, review of Culture Warrior, p. 4; June 1, 2013, Ilene Cooper, review of Kennedy’s Last Days: The Assassination That Defined a Generation, p. 77.
Civil War Times, June 1, 2012, Frank J. Williams, review of Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever, p. 77; June 1, 2013, Ilene Cooper, review of Kennedy’s Last Days, p. 77.
Entertainment Weekly, February 20, 2004, Jennifer Reese, review of Those Who Trespass, p. 70.
Hollywood Reporter, March 6, 2015, Marisa Guthrie, article about author, P. 16; March 20, 2015, Michael O’Connell, article about film adaptation of Killing Jesus: A History, p. 52.
Insight on the News, March 19, 2001, Rex Roberts, review of The O’Reilly Factor: The Good, Bad, and Completely Ridiculous in American Life, p. 26.
Internet Bookwatch, October 1, 2011, review of Killing Lincoln; December 1, 2014, review of Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II’s Most Audacious General.
Kennedy School Review, 2008, review of Kids Are Americans, Too, p. 137.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2001, review of The No-Spin Zone, p. 1273; September 1, 2011, review of Killing Lincoln; December 1, 2012, review of Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot; May 1, 2013, review of Kennedy’s Last Days; March 15, 2014, review of The Last Days of Jesus.
Library Journal, November 1, 2000, Judy Solberg, review of The O’Reilly Factor, p. 92; October 1, 2001, Heath Madom, review of The No-Spin Zone, p. 116; October 1, 2011, Michael Farrell, review of Killing Lincoln, p. 87; March 1, 2013, review of Keep It Pithy: Useful Observation in a Tough World, p. 12.
Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2019, Christie D’Zurilla, “Bill O’Reilly Says His Book about President Trump Will Have ‘No Spin’.”
Newsweek, March 20, 2015, Edward Jay Epstein, article about author.
New York Post, March 19, 2019, Keith J. Kelly, “Bill O’Reilly’s Next Book Will Cover How Trump ‘Really Sees America’.”
New York Times, October 16, 2008, Janet Maslin, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity p. 8; October 11, 2012, Janet Maslin, review of Killing Kennedy, p. 1; February 23, 2015, Emily Steel, article about author, p. B2; February 24, 2015, Emily Steel and Ravi Somaiya, article about author, p. B1; February 26, 2015, Jonathan Mahler and Emily Steel, article about author, p. A1.
New York Times Book Review, November 7, 2004, Michael Newman, review of The O’Reilly Factor for Kids, p. 22.
Progressive, April, 2013, Ian Murphy, review of Killing Lincoln, p. 43.
Publishers Weekly, March 16, 1998, review of Those Who Trespass, p. 56; September 24, 2001, No-Spin Zone: Confrontation within the Powerful and Famous in America, p. 81; August 18, 2003, review of Who’s Looking Out for You?, p. 70; December 22, 2003, review of Those Who Trespass, p. 35; July 31, 2006, review of Culture Warrior, p. 70; August 15, 2011, review of Killing Lincoln, p. 66; October 6, 2014, review of the “Killing” series, p. 17.
School Library Journal, November 1, 2004, Sharon A. Neal, review of The O’Reilly Factor for Kids, p. 170; July 1, 2013, Mary Mueller, review of Kennedy’s Last Days, p. 118; May 1, 2014, Ann W. Moore, review of The Last Days of Jesus: His Life and Times, p. 157.
USA Today, September 4, 2008, review of A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, p. 6; September 24, 2013, Bob Minzesheimer, review of Killing Jesus, p. 3; September 23, 2014, Jocelyn McClurg, author interview, p. 3; February 3, 2015, DeWayne Wickham, article about author, p. 7; February 27, 2015, article about author, p. 7.
USA Today Magazine, March 1, 2004, Raymond L. Fischer, review of Who’s Looking Out for You?, p. 80.
Variety, February 25, 2015, Andrew Wallenstein, article about author, p. 6; March 31, 2015, Brian Lowry, article about author, p. 10.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August 1, 2013, Mark Letcher, review of Kennedy’s Last Days, p. 88; October 1, 2015, Mary Ellen Snodgrass, review of Hitler’s Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World’s Most Notorious Dictator, p. 84; December 1, 2016, Lisa Martincik, review of The Day the President was Shot, p. 84.
Washington Monthly, December 1, 2006, Paul Waldman, review of Culture Warrior, p. 36.
Washington Post, February 24, 2015, Paul Farhi, article about author; February 27, 2015, Alyssa Rosenberg, article about author; February 27, 2015, Paul Farhi, article about author; February 27, 2015, Alexandra Petri, article about author.
World War II, January 1, 2015, Robert M. Citino, review of Killing Patton, p. 73.
ONLINE
Bill O’Reilly, http://www.billoreilly.com (November 21, 2019).
Biography.com, https://www.biography.com/ (October 3, 2019), author profile.
Christian Post, http://www.christianpost.com/ (September 29, 2013), Anugrah Kumar, “Holy Spirit Directed Me to Write Killing Jesus, Bill O’Reilly Says.”
CNN Religion Blogs, http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/ (October 4, 2013), Candida Moss, “Five Things Bill O’Reilly Flubs in Killing Jesus.”
Daily Beast, http://www.thedailybeast.com/ (September 27, 2013), Candida Moss, “The Gospel According to Bill O’Reilly’s New Book Killing Jesus.”
Fox News Channel: The O’Reilly Factor, http://www.foxnews.com/channel/oreilly/novelbg.sml (April 21, 1999).
Gawker, http://gawker.com/ (May 20, 2015), J.K. Trotter, article about author.
Mother Jones Online, http://www.motherjones.com/ (March 30, 2015), David Corn and Daniel Schulman, article about author.
Page Six, https://pagesix.com/ (September 22, 2019), Cindy Adams, “Bill O’Reilly Promises He Researched Every Line in New Trump Book.”
Rolling Stone Online, http://www.rollingstone.com/ (July 17, 2015), Matt Taibbi, article about author.
Washington Examiner, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/ (September 24, 2019), Eddie Scarry, “Q&A with Bill O’Reilly on 2020, #MeToo, and His New Book.”
OTHER
Imus in the Morning, 2014, Don Imus, transcript of author interview.
Morning Edition, 2015, Renee Montagne, transcript of radio author interview.
Bill O'Reilly is a trailblazing TV journalist who has experienced unprecedented success on cable news and in writing fifteen national number-one bestselling nonfiction books. There are currently more than 17 million books in the Killing series in print. He currently hosts the 'No Spin News' on BillOReilly.com. He lives on Long Island.
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
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Bill O'Reilly
O'Reilly in Philadelphia, September 2010
Born
William James O'Reilly Jr.
September 10, 1949 (age 70)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Education
Marist College (BA)
Boston University (MA)
Harvard University (MPA)
Occupation
Television hostpolitical commentatorauthor
Years active
1975–present
Political party
Republican (Before 2001)
Independence (2001–present)
Spouse(s)
Maureen McPhilmy
(m. 1996; div. 2011)
Children
2
Website
Official website
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William James O'Reilly Jr.[1] (born September 10, 1949) is an American journalist, author, and former television host. During the late 1970s and 1980s, 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 was 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.[2][3][4][5][6] He is the author of numerous books and hosted The Radio Factor (2002–2009).[7] Since 2017, he has hosted the No Spin News podcast which he founded after being fired from Fox.[8] O'Reilly is considered to be a conservative commentator.[9][10]
O'Reilly's media career took a major blow after several New York Times investigations revealed that he had paid six women nearly $50 million to settle various sexual harassment lawsuits. After the first New York Times investigation revealed that O'Reilly and Fox News had settled five sexual harassment lawsuits totaling $13 million, Fox News terminated O'Reilly's employment in April 2017.[11][12][13][14] In October 2017, The New York Times reported an additional settlement of $32 million that O'Reilly had paid to settle a sixth sexual harassment lawsuit which had been filed against him by former Fox News analyst Lis Wiehl because of the "non-consensual sexual relationship" she says O'Reilly initiated with her.[15][16] The revelation of this sixth settlement caused O'Reilly to be dropped by the United Talent Agency.[17]
Contents
1
Early life
2
Broadcasting career
2.1
Early career
2.2
Inside Edition
2.2.1
Viral video
2.3
The O'Reilly Factor
2.4
Disputed claims
2.4.1
George de Mohrenschildt claim
2.4.2
War coverage claims
2.5
Radio ventures
2.6
Newspaper column and film appearances
2.7
Post-Fox News career
3
Political views and media coverage
4
Sexual harassment lawsuits
4.1
2004 lawsuit
4.2
2016 lawsuits
4.3
New York Times report and ouster from Fox News
4.4
Later developments
5
Personal life
5.1
Domestic violence accusation from daughter
6
Books by O'Reilly
7
References
8
Further reading
9
External links
Early life
O'Reilly was born on September 10, 1949,[1] at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan to parents William James Sr. and Winifred Angela (Drake) O'Reilly from Brooklyn and Teaneck, New Jersey, respectively.[18] He is of Irish descent with a small degree of English (Colonial American) ancestry.[19] Some of his father's ancestors lived in County Cavan, Ireland, since the early eighteenth century, and on his mother's side he has ancestry from Northern Ireland.[20] The O'Reilly family lived in a small apartment in Fort Lee, New Jersey, when their son was born.[21] In 1951, his family moved to Levittown on Long Island.[22] O'Reilly has a sister, Janet.[23]
O'Reilly attended St. Brigid parochial school in Westbury and Chaminade High School, a private Catholic boys high school, in Mineola. His father wanted him to attend Chaminade, but O'Reilly wanted to attend W. Tresper Clarke High School, the public school most of his closest friends would attend.[24] He played Little League baseball and was the goalie on the Chaminade varsity hockey team.[25] During his high school years, he met future pop-singer Billy Joel, whom O'Reilly described as a "hoodlum." O'Reilly recollected in an interview with Michael Kay on the YES Network show CenterStage that Joel "was in the Hicksville section—the same age as me—and he was a hood. He used to slick it [his hair] back like this. And we knew him, because his guys would smoke and this and that, and we were more jocks."[26]
After graduating from Chaminade in 1967, O'Reilly attended Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.[27] While at Marist, he was a punter in the National Club Football Association[28] and also wrote for the school's newspaper, The Circle. He was an honors student who majored in history. He spent his junior year of college abroad, attending Queen Mary College at the University of London.[29] He received his bachelor of arts degree in history in 1971.[30] He played semi-professional baseball during this time as a pitcher for the New York Monarchs.[31] After graduating from Marist College, O'Reilly moved to Miami where he taught English and history at Monsignor Pace High School from 1970 to 1972.[32] He returned to school in 1973[33] and earned a master of arts degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University.[30] While attending Boston University, he was a reporter and columnist for various local newspapers and alternative news weeklies, including the Boston Phoenix, and did an internship in the newsroom of WBZ-TV.[34] During his time at BU, he also was a classmate of future radio talk show host Howard Stern whom O'Reilly noticed because Stern was the only student on campus taller than he was.[26] In 1995, he attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and received a master of public administration degree in 1996.[30]
Broadcasting career
Early career
O'Reilly's early television news career included reporting and anchoring positions at WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he also reported the weather. At WFAA-TV in Dallas, O'Reilly was awarded the Dallas Press Club Award for excellence in investigative reporting. He then moved to KMGH-TV in Denver where he won a local Emmy Award for his coverage of a skyjacking.[35] O'Reilly also worked for KATU in Portland, Oregon, from 1984 to 1985,[36] WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut, and WNEV-TV (now WHDH-TV) in Boston.[citation needed]
In 1980, O'Reilly anchored the local news-feature program 7:30 Magazine at WCBS-TV in New York. Soon after, as a WCBS News anchor and correspondent, he won his second local Emmy which was for an investigation of corrupt city marshals.
In 1982, he became a CBS News correspondent,[citation needed] covering the wars in El Salvador on location and in the Falkland Islands from his base in Buenos Aires, Argentina. O'Reilly left CBS over a dispute concerning the uncredited use in a report by Bob Schieffer of footage of a riot in response to the military junta's surrender shot by O'Reilly's crew in Buenos Aires shortly after the conclusion of the war.[37][38]
In 1986, O'Reilly joined ABC News as a correspondent. He had delivered a eulogy for his friend Joe Spencer, an ABC News correspondent who died in a helicopter crash on January 22, 1986, en route to covering the Hormel meatpacker strike. ABC News president Roone Arledge, who attended Spencer's funeral, decided to hire O'Reilly after hearing the eulogy.[39] At ABC, O'Reilly hosted daytime news briefs that previewed stories to be reported on the day's World News Tonight and worked as a general assignment reporter for ABC News programs, including Good Morning America, Nightline, and World News Tonight.[40]
Inside Edition
Main article: Inside Edition
In 1989, O'Reilly joined the nationally syndicated King World (now CBS Television Distribution)-produced Inside Edition, a tabloid-gossip television program in competition with A Current Affair.[30] He became the program's anchor three weeks into its run after the involvement of original anchor David Frost had ended.[41] In addition to being one of the first American broadcasters to cover the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, O'Reilly obtained the first exclusive interview with murderer Joel Steinberg and was the first television host from a national current affairs program on the scene of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[citation needed]
In 1995, former NBC News and CBS News anchor Deborah Norville replaced O'Reilly on Inside Edition; O'Reilly had expressed a desire to quit the show in July 1994.[42]
Viral video
On May 12, 2008, an outtake of O'Reilly ranting during his time at Inside Edition surfaced on YouTube.[43] The early 1990s video depicts O'Reilly yelling and cursing at his co-workers while having issues pre-recording the closing lines on his teleprompter, eventually yelling the phrase "Fuck it, we'll do it live!" before continuing the closing segment to his show.[44][45] The original video, titled "Bill O'Reilly Flips Out," was removed, but another user reuploaded it the day after and retitled it "Bill O'Reilly Goes Nuts." Immediately after the video surfaced, O'Reilly acknowledged the video's existence, claiming that he was amusing his co-workers and said "I have plenty of much newer stuff... If you want to buy the tapes that I have, I'm happy to sell them to you."[46][47] The rant was later parodied by Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report[46][48] as well as Family Guy and by Trevor Noah on The Daily Show,[49] and was named one of Time's "Top 10 Celebrity Meltdowns."[50] In October 2008, Wednesday 13 named their first live album after a line in the rant.[49][51] In 2009, a "dance remix" of O'Reilly's rant was nominated for a Webby Award for "Best Viral Video"[52] but lost to "The Website is Down: Sales Guy vs. Web Dude."[53]
The O'Reilly Factor
Main article: The O'Reilly Factor
In October 1996 O'Reilly was hired by Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of the then startup Fox News Channel, to anchor The O'Reilly Report.[54] The show was renamed The O'Reilly Factor after his friend and branding expert John Tantillo's remarks upon the "O'Reilly Factor" in any of the stories he told.[54][55][56] The program was routinely the highest-rated show of the three major U.S. 24-hour cable news television channels and began the trend toward more opinion-oriented prime-time cable news programming.[57] The show was taped late in the afternoon at a studio in New York City and aired every weekday on the Fox News Channel at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and was rebroadcast at 11:00 p.m.
Progressive media monitoring organizations such as Media Matters and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting have criticized his reporting on a variety of issues, accusing him of distorting facts and using misleading or erroneous statistics.[58] In 2008, citing numerous inaccuracies in his reporting, MediaMatters for America awarded him its first annual "Misinformer of the Year" award.[59]
After the September 11 attacks, O'Reilly accused the United Way of America and American Red Cross of failing to deliver millions of dollars in donated money, raised by the organizations in the name of the disaster, to the families of those killed in the attacks. He reported that the organizations misrepresented their intentions for the money being raised by not distributing all of the 9/11 relief fund to the victims. Actor George Clooney responded, accusing him of misstating facts and harming the relief effort by inciting "panic" among potential donors.[60]
On August 27, 2002, O'Reilly called for all Americans to boycott Pepsi products,[61] saying that lyrics of Ludacris (then appearing in ads for Pepsi) glamorize a "life of guns, violence, drugs and disrespect of women." The next day, O'Reilly reported that Pepsi had fired Ludacris.[61] Three years later, Ludacris referenced O'Reilly in the song "Number One Spot" with the lyrics "Respected highly, hi, Mr. O'Reilly/Hope all is well, kiss the plaintiff and the wifey," in reference to his sexual-harassment suit with Andrea Mackris while married. In an interview with RadarOnline.com in 2010, Ludacris said the two had made amends after a conversation at a charity event.[62]
Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America on March 18, 2003, he promised that "[i]f the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean [of weapons of mass destruction] ... I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again."[63] In another appearance on the same program on February 10, 2004, he responded to repeated requests for him to honor his pledge: "My analysis was wrong and I'm sorry. I was wrong. I'm not pleased about it at all."[64] With regard to his trust in the government, he said, "I am much more skeptical of the Bush administration now than I was at that time."[65]
Beginning in 2005, he periodically denounced George Tiller, a Kansas-based physician who specialized in second- and third-trimester abortions,[66] often referring to him as "Tiller the baby killer." [67] Tiller was murdered on May 31, 2009, by Scott Roeder, an anti-abortion activist.[68] Critics such as Salon's Gabriel Winant have asserted that his anti-Tiller rhetoric helped to create an atmosphere of violence around the doctor.[69] Jay Bookman of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that he "clearly went overboard in his condemnation and demonization of Tiller" but added that it was "irresponsible to link O'Reilly" to Tiller's murder.[70] O'Reilly responded to the criticism by saying "no backpedaling here ... every single thing we said about Tiller was true."[71]
In early 2007, researchers from the Indiana University School of Journalism published a report that analyzed his "Talking Points Memo" segment. Using analysis techniques developed in the 1930s by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis, the study concluded that he used propaganda, frequently engaged in name calling, and consistently cast non-Americans as threats and never "in the role of victim or hero."[72][73] He responded, asserting that "the terms 'conservative', 'liberal', 'left', 'right', 'progressive', 'traditional' and 'centrist' were considered name-calling if they were associated with a problem or social ill." The study's authors said that those terms were only considered name-calling when linked to derogatory qualifiers.[74] Fox News producer Ron Mitchell wrote an op-ed in which he accused the study's authors of seeking to manipulate their research to fit a predetermined outcome. Mitchell argued that by using tools developed for examining propaganda, the researchers presupposed that he propagandized.[75]
On April 19, 2017, Fox News announced that O'Reilly would not return to their primetime lineup amid public reporting on the tens of millions of dollars he paid to settle the sexual harassment claims of six women. The show continued, rebranded as The Factor, now hosted by Dana Perino.[76] On the same day, Fox announced that Tucker Carlson's show would be airing an hour earlier to take over O'Reilly's position and that The Five will replace Tucker Carlson's usual time at 9 p.m. with a new co-host Jesse Watters.[77] After O'Reilly was fired, the financial markets responded positively to the decision by Fox News, and its parent company 21st Century Fox rose over two percent in the stock market the next day.[78]
Disputed claims
George de Mohrenschildt claim
In his bestselling 2013 book Killing Kennedy and on Fox and Friends, O'Reilly claimed he was knocking at the front door of George de Mohrenschildt's daughter's home at the moment Mohrenschildt committed suicide and that he heard the shotgun blast:
In March of 1977, a young television reporter at WFAA in Dallas began looking into the Kennedy assassination. As part of his reporting, he sought an interview with the shadowy Russian professor who had befriended the Oswalds upon their arrival in Dallas in 1962. The reporter traced George de Mohrenschildt to Palm Beach, Florida and travelled there to confront him. At the time de Mohrenschildt had been called to testify before a congressional committee looking into the events of November 1963. As the reporter knocked on the door of de Mohrenschildt's daughter's home, he heard the shotgun blast [Emphasis added][clarification needed] that marked the suicide of the Russian, assuring that his relationship with Lee Harvey Oswald would never be fully understood. By the way, that reporter's name is Bill O'Reilly.
This claim has been disproven by former Washington Post editor Jefferson Morley who cites audio recordings made by Gaeton Fonzi indicating O'Reilly was not present in Florida on the day of Mohrenschildt's suicide.[79][80]
War coverage claims
On February 19, 2015, David Corn from Mother Jones broke a story reporting a collection of inconsistencies of O'Reilly when recalling his experience covering the 1982 Falklands War.[38] On April 17, 2013, O'Reilly said on his show: "I was in a situation one time, in a war zone in Argentina, in the Falklands, (...)".[81] In his book, The No Spin Zone, he wrote: "You know that I am not easily shocked. I've reported on the ground in active war zones from El Salvador to the Falklands."[82] On a 2004 column on his website he wrote: "Having survived a combat situation in Argentina during the Falklands war, I know that life-and-death decisions are made in a flash."[83] Corn claimed O'Reilly was not in the Falklands, but in Buenos Aires, and that no American journalist was in the Islands during the conflict. He also pointed out that according to O'Reilly's own book, The No Spin Zone, he arrived in Buenos Aires soon before the war ended.[38] On February 20, 2015, O'Reilly said on his show, "David Corn, a liar, says that I exaggerated situations in the Falklands War" and that he never said he was on the Falkland Islands. O'Reilly went on to describe his experience in a riot in Buenos Aires the day Argentina surrendered.[84] David Corn replied that they didn't claim O'Reilly "exaggerated" but rather that there were contradictions between his accounts and the factual record and that the 2013 clip from his show proves O'Reilly did in fact say he was on the Falklands.[85] David Corn told The New York Times: "The question is whether Bill O'Reilly was stating the truth when he repeatedly said that Argentine soldiers used real bullets and fired into the crowd of civilians and many were killed."[86]
In September 2009, during an interview he said he covered the riots in Buenos Aires on the day Argentina surrendered.[87]
During an interview with TheBlaze television network, O'Reilly said: "And if that moron [Corn] doesn't think it was a war zone in Buenos Aires, then he's even dumber than I think he is."[88] This characterization by O'Reilly was disputed by former CBS colleague Eric Engberg who was in Buenos Aires at the time and challenged his (O'Reilly's) description of the riot as a "combat situation." Engberg went on to say it was a moderate riot and he heard no "shots fired" and saw no "ambulances or tanks" in the streets.[89] The following week O'Reilly contradicted Engberg's claims, presenting archived CBS video of the riot that ensued after Argentine's surrender. The video appears to show riot police firing tear gas and plastic bullets toward the crowd; additionally, former NBC bureau chief Don Browne referred to the riot as an "intense situation" with many people hurt and tanks in the streets of Buenos Aires.[90]
The fallout from the coverage generated by the questioning of O'Reilly's reporting during the Falklands War led to questions of claims made by O'Reilly while in El Salvador and Northern Ireland. In his 2013 book, Keep it Pithy, O'Reilly wrote: "I've seen soldiers gun down unarmed civilians in Latin America, Irish terrorists kill and maim their fellow citizens in Belfast with bombs." In a 2005 radio program O'Reilly said he had "seen guys gun down nuns in El Salvador" and in 2012, on The O’Reilly Factor, said "I saw nuns get shot in the back of the head." O'Reilly and Fox News clarified that he had not been an eyewitness to any of those events but had just seen photographs of the murdered nuns and Irish bombings.[91][92]
Radio ventures
Main article: The Radio Factor
From 2002–2009, he hosted a radio program called The Radio Factor that had more than 3.26 million listeners and was carried by more than 400 radio stations.[93] According to the talk radio industry publication Talkers Magazine, he was No. 11 on the "Heavy Hundred," a list of the 100 most important talk show hosts in America.[94] Conservative Internet news site NewsMax's "Top 25 Talk Radio Host" list selected him to the No. 2 spot as most influential host in the nation.[95]
In 2019, O'Reilly returned to radio with a daily 15-minute series The O'Reilly Update. The program airs during or near lunch hour on most stations in a time slot previously used by Paul Harvey.[96]
Newspaper column and film appearances
O'Reilly wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column through Creators Syndicate[97] that appeared in numerous newspapers, including the New York Post and the Chicago Sun-Times.[98] He discontinued the column at the end of 2013.
O'Reilly made cameo appearances in the films An American Carol, Iron Man 2, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.[99][100][101]
Post-Fox News career
O'Reilly launched a podcast called No Spin News on April 24, 2017, after his departure from Fox News.[102] In August 2017, O'Reilly began digitally streaming a video version of No Spin News.[103][104][105]
In May 2017, O'Reilly began to appear as a recurring guest on Friday editions of the Glenn Beck Radio Program.[106]
In June 2017, O'Reilly and Dennis Miller co-headlined the public speaking tour, "The Spin Stops Here."[107]
O'Reilly made his first appearance on Fox News since his ouster on September 26, 2017, being interviewed by Sean Hannity.[108]
Political views and media coverage
Main article: Political views of Bill O'Reilly
O'Reilly at Camp Striker, 2006
On The O'Reilly Factor and on his former talk-radio program, O'Reilly focused on news and commentary related to politics and culture.[109] O'Reilly has long said that he does not identify with any political ideology, writing in his book The O'Reilly Factor that the reader "might be wondering whether I'm conservative, liberal, libertarian, or exactly what ... See, I don't want to fit any of those labels, because I believe that the truth doesn't have labels. When I see corruption, I try to expose it. When I see exploitation, I try to fight it. That's my political position."[110] On December 6, 2000, the Daily News in New York reported, however, that he had been registered with the Republican Party in the state of New York since 1994. When questioned about this, he said that he was not aware of it and says he registered as an independent after the interview.[111] During a broadcast of The Radio Factor, O'Reilly said that there was no option to register as an independent voter; however, there was in fact a box marked "I do not wish to enroll in party."[112] Despite his being registered as an Independence Party member, many view him as a conservative figure.[109] A February 2009 Pew Research poll found that 66% of his television viewers identify themselves as conservative, 24% moderate, and 3% liberal.[113] A November 2008 poll by Zogby International found that O'Reilly was the second most trusted news personality, after Rush Limbaugh.[114]
In a 2003 interview with Terry Gross on National Public Radio, O'Reilly said:
I'm not a political guy in the sense that I embrace an ideology. To this day I'm an independent thinker, an independent voter, I'm a registered independent ... [T]here are certain fundamental things that this country was founded upon that I respect and don't want changed. That separates me from the secularists who want a complete overhaul of how the country is run.[115]
On a September 2007 edition of The Radio Factor, while having a discussion about race with fellow Fox News commentator and author Juan Williams about a meal he shared with Al Sharpton, O'Reilly said "You know when Sharpton and I walked in, it was like... big commotion and everything. But everybody was very nice. And I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's Restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship." He commented that no one in Sylvia's was "screaming 'M'Fer, I want more iced tea.'" He further added, "I think that black Americans are starting to think more and more for themselves, getting away from the Sharptons and the Jacksons and people trying to lead them into a race-based culture. They're just trying to figure it out. 'Look, I can make it. If I work hard and get educated, I can make it.'"[116] The statement drew criticism from a number of places. Roland S. Martin of CNN said that the notion that black people are just now starting to value education is "ridiculous" and that the notion that black people let Sharpton or Jackson think for them is "nuts."[117] Media Matters for America covered the story on a number of occasions.[118][119] O'Reilly responded, saying, "It was an attempt to tell the radio audience that there is no difference—black, white, we're all Americans. The stereotypes they see on television are not true" and also called out Media Matters, claiming that "Media Matters distorted the entire conversation and implied I was racist for condemning racism."[120] Juan Williams said the criticism of O'Reilly was "rank dishonesty" and that the original comments "had nothing to do with racist ranting by anybody except by these idiots at CNN." Williams went on to say it was "frustrating" that the media try to criticize anyone who wanted to have an honest discussion about race.[121]
O'Reilly has long said that his inspiration for speaking up for average Americans is his working-class roots. He has pointed to his boyhood home in Levittown, New York, as a credential. In an interview with The Washington Post, O'Reilly's mother said that her family lived in Westbury,[23] which is a few miles from Levittown. Citing this interview, then liberal talk-show pundit Al Franken accused O'Reilly of distorting his background to create a more working-class image. O'Reilly countered that The Washington Post misquoted his mother[122] and that his mother still lives in his childhood home which was built by William Levitt. O'Reilly placed a copy of the house's mortgage on his website; the mortgage shows a Levittown postal address.[123] O'Reilly has also said, "You don't come from any lower than I came from on an economic scale"[124] and that his father, a currency accountant for an oil company,[125] "never earned more than $35,000 a year in his life." O'Reilly responded that his father's $35,000 income only came at the end of his long career.[126]
He was the main inspiration for comedian Stephen Colbert's satirical character on the Comedy Central show The Colbert Report, which featured Colbert in a "full-dress parody" of The Factor. On the show, Colbert referred to him as "Papa Bear."[127] He and Colbert exchanged appearances on each other's shows in January 2007.[128]
On May 10, 2008, he was presented with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Governors' Award at an Emmy awards show dinner.[129]
Sexual harassment lawsuits
2004 lawsuit
On October 13, 2004, O'Reilly sued Andrea Mackris, a former producer for The O'Reilly Factor, alleging extortion. O'Reilly claimed that Mackris had threatened a lawsuit unless he paid her more than $60 million. Later the same day, Mackris sued O'Reilly for sexual harassment, seeking $60 million in damages.[130] Her complaint alleged that in phone conversations, O'Reilly had "advised her to use a vibrator and told her about sexual fantasies involving her"[131] and that he threatened that if she reported his behavior, "Roger Ailes... will go after you... Ailes operates behind the scenes, strategizes, and makes things happen so that one day BAM! The person gets what's coming to them but never sees it coming." On October 15, 2004, Fox sought judicial permission to fire Mackris, but she was never dismissed. On October 19, 2004, Mackris filed an amended complaint seeking further damages for illegal retaliatory actions by O'Reilly, Fox News, and the News Corporation-owned newspaper the New York Post.[132] On October 28, 2004, O'Reilly and Mackris reached an out-of-court settlement in which Mackris dropped her sexual-assault suit against O'Reilly and O'Reilly dropped his extortion claim against Mackris. The terms of the agreement are confidential,[133] but in 2017 The New York Times reported that O'Reilly had agreed to pay Mackris about $9 million and that they would issue a public statement that there had been "no wrongdoing whatsoever."[134]
2016 lawsuits
After Fox News executive Roger Ailes was the subject of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Fox News coworker Gretchen Carlson, O'Reilly said in July 2016 that Ailes was a "target" as a "famous, powerful or wealthy person" and called him the "best boss I ever had."[135] After Ailes was fired and the network settled the lawsuit with Carlson, O'Reilly declined to comment further, saying that "for once in my life, I'm going to keep my big mouth shut."[136]
Shortly after Ailes was fired, Fox News settled a sexual harassment claim against O'Reilly with former Fox host Juliet Huddy. Huddy alleged that O'Reilly pursued a romantic relationship with her, made lewd remarks, including a telephone call during which he appeared to be masturbating, and tried to have her fired when she rejected his advances. Legal fees in this case were settled and paid for by Fox News.[137] The New York Times reported the settlement to have been worth $1.6 million.[134]
In August 2016, former Fox host Andrea Tantaros filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News, claiming that O'Reilly made sexually suggestive comments to her.[138] Judge George B. Daniels dismissed the lawsuit in May 2018 and wrote that Tantaros' allegations were "primarily based on speculation and conjecture".[139]
New York Times report and ouster from Fox News
In April 2017, The New York Times reported that O'Reilly and Fox News had settled five lawsuits against O'Reilly dating back to 2002. Previously, only the settlements to Mackris and Huddy were publicly reported; The Times reported that Fox hosts Rebecca Diamond and Laurie Dhue settled sexual harassment lawsuits in 2011 and 2016 respectively and junior producer Rachel Witlieb Bernstein settled with Fox in 2002 after accusing O'Reilly of verbal abuse. The amount paid to the women filing the complaints was estimated at $13 million. The New York Times also reported a claim by former O'Reilly Factor guest Wendy Walsh, who declined an offer from O'Reilly to go to his hotel suite and was subsequently denied a job as a Fox News contributor.[134] Walsh appeared on The O'Reilly Factor for a few months after the hotel incident and at one point asked producers for more airtime on the show.[140]
After Walsh's complaint, 21st Century Fox hired the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to conduct an investigation into that allegation; the firm also conducted an investigation into the allegations against Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, which led to his ouster from Fox.[141]
After the five settlements were reported, the O'Reilly Factor lost more than half its advertisers within a week;[142] almost 60 companies withdrew their television advertising from the show[143] amid a growing backlash against O'Reilly.[144][145] On April 11, O'Reilly announced he would take a two-week vacation and would return to the program on April 24; he normally took a vacation around Easter.[146] On April 19, Fox News announced that O'Reilly would not be returning to the network.[147][148] The program was subsequently renamed The Factor on April 19 and aired its last episode on April 21.[149]
O'Reilly later stated his regret that he did not "fight back" against his accusers the way Sean Hannity did when facing the loss of advertisers around the same time.[150]
Later developments
In October 2017, The New York Times reported that O'Reilly had reached a previously undisclosed $32 million settlement with former Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl in January 2017. Wiehl had been a frequent guest on O'Reilly's show from 2001 to December 2016. On January 2, 2017, O'Reilly received a draft of a lawsuit alleging a "nonconsensual sexual relationship," as well as "repeated harassment . . . and the [unsolicited] sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her." Wiehl subsequently signed a sworn affidavit "renouncing all allegations against him" and was paid over a period of time to ensure her silence. In an interview, O'Reilly denied the allegations against him and said he "resolved matters privately because [he] wanted to protect [his] children from the publicity."[151] Despite the Wiehl settlement in January, Fox gave O'Reilly a four-year contract extension in February worth $25 million per year. However, as described above, Fox announced in April that O'Reilly would no longer be employed by the network.
In late October 2017, O'Reilly's literary agency, WME, announced that they would no longer represent him for future deals, and his talent agency, UTA, informed him that it would not be renewing his contract.[152][153]
Personal life
O'Reilly was married to Maureen E. McPhilmy, a public relations executive. The couple met in 1992, and their wedding took place in St. Brigid Parish of Westbury, New York, on November 2, 1996.[154] O'Reilly and McPhilmy have a daughter Madeline (born 1998) and a son Spencer (born 2003).[155]
The couple separated on April 2, 2010, and were divorced on September 1, 2011.[156]
Domestic violence accusation from daughter
In May 2015, court transcripts from O'Reilly's custody trial with ex-wife Maureen McPhilmy revealed signs of domestic violence within the household—O'Reilly's daughter told a forensic examiner that she witnessed O'Reilly choking McPhilmy and dragging her down the stairs of their home by her neck, apparently unaware that their daughter was watching.[157][158][159] Following this allegation, O'Reilly issued a statement through his attorney describing the account as "100% false" and declined to comment further in order "to respect the court-mandated confidentiality put in place to protect [his] children."[159][160] In February 2016, O'Reilly lost a bid for custody of both of his children.[161]
Books by O'Reilly
O'Reilly has authored or co-authored a number of books:
O'Reilly, Bill (1998). Those Who Trespass. Bancroft Press. ISBN 0-9631246-8-4.
O'Reilly, Bill (2000). The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-0528-8. (Reached No. 1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.)[162]
O'Reilly, Bill (2001). The No Spin Zone. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-0848-1. (Reached No. 1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.)[162]
O'Reilly, Bill (2003). Who's Looking Out For You?. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-1379-5. (Reached No. 1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.)[162]
O'Reilly, Bill; Charles Flowers (2004). The O'Reilly Factor For Kids: A Survival Guide for America's Families. Harper Entertainment. ISBN 0-06-054424-4. (Best-selling nonfiction children's book of 2005)[163]
O'Reilly, Bill (2006). Culture Warrior. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-2092-9. (Reached No. 1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list;[162] Achieved more than one million copies in print in its first three months)
O'Reilly, Bill (2007). Kids Are Americans Too. William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-084676-3.
O'Reilly, Bill (2008). A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity: A Memoir. Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-7679-2882-3.
O'Reilly, Bill (2010). Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama. William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-195071-1.
O'Reilly, Bill (2011). Factor Words: A Collection of the O'Reilly Factor Favorite "Words of the Day". A Bill Me Inc. ISBN 978-1450789783.
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2011). Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-9307-0.
O'Reilly, Bill; Dwight Jon Zimmerman (2012). Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-9675-0.
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2012). Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-9666-8.
O'Reilly, Bill (2013). Kennedy's Last Days: The Assassination That Defined a Generation. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-9802-0.
O'Reilly, Bill (2013). Keep It Pithy: Useful Observations in a Tough World. Crown Archetype. ISBN 978-0-385-34662-7.
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2013). Killing Jesus: A History. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-9854-9.[164]
O'Reilly, Bill (2014). The Last Days of Jesus: His Life and Times. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-9877-8.
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2014). Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-9668-2.[165]
O'Reilly, Bill; David Fisher (2015). Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Real West. Henry Holt and Co.
O'Reilly, Bill (2015). Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-1-62779-396-4.
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2015). Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency. Henry Holt and Co.[166]
O'Reilly, Bill (2016). The Day the President Was Shot. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-1-62779-699-6.
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2016). Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-1-6277-9062-8.[167]
O'Reilly, Bill; James Patterson (2016). Give Please a Chance. Jimmy Patterson. ISBN 978-0316276887.[168]
O'Reilly, Bill; Bruce Feirstein (2017). Old School: Life in the Sane Lane. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-1-2501-3579-7.[169]
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2017). Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-1-6277-9064-2.[170]
O'Reilly, Bill; Martin Dugard (2018). Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 978-1-2501-6554-1.[171]
Quick Facts
Name
Bill O'Reilly
Birth Date
September 10, 1949 (age 70)
Did You Know?
Along with being a top-rated talk-show host, Bill O'Reilly became a best-selling author.
Education
Boston University, Harvard University, Marist University
Place of Birth
New York, New York
AKA
William James O'Reilly
William O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly
Full Name
William James O'Reilly Jr.
Zodiac Sign
Virgo
Who Is Bill O'Reilly?
Early Life and Education
Early Journalistic Success
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“Traditionalists like me believe the USA has become strong because of its core values, the freedom, individual responsibility and institutions like traditional marriage, which foster common goals.”
—Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly Biography
(1949–)
Updated:Oct 3, 2019Original:Apr 5, 2018
Bill O'Reilly hosted the popular cable news program 'The O'Reilly Factor,' which began airing on Fox News in 2001. He was fired from the network in 2017 after reports surfaced of his settlements for sexual harassment allegations.
Who Is Bill O'Reilly?
Bill O'Reilly began his television career in local news outlets around the country. As a correspondent, he won several Emmy Awards before moving to Inside Edition, a popular "infotainment" program. When Fox News launched, he was hired to host his own program, The O'Reilly Factor, which featured conservative commentary and interviews and quickly became a top-rated cable news program. The host also wrote a series of best-selling books, including Killing Lincoln (2011) and Killing Jesus (2013). In 2017, after The New York Times revealed his history of sexual harassment allegations and settlements, O'Reilly was fired from Fox News.
Early Life and Education
William James O'Reilly Jr. was born on September 10, 1949, in New York City, to parents William James O'Reilly Sr. and Angela "Ann" O'Reilly. When he was a boy, his family moved to Long Island, where O'Reilly attended Catholic school. After high school he studied history at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, spending his junior year abroad at the University of London. In 1971, he graduated with honors and moved to Miami, where he taught high school for two years before enrolling at Boston University to pursue a master's degree in broadcast journalism.
Early Journalistic Success
O'Reilly's television news career began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and included stints at local news stations in Dallas, Denver, Portland and Boston. In 1980, he returned to New York to anchor his own program, and then joined CBS as a news correspondent. In 1986, he moved to ABC News, where, during his three-year tenure, he received two Emmy Awards and two National Headliner Awards for excellence in reporting.
O'Reilly's career took a turn in 1989 when he joined the nationally syndicated show Inside Edition. For the next five years, Inside Edition was the highest-rated "infotainment" program in America. After six years as its anchor, O'Reilly left Inside Edition to earn yet another master's degree, this time in public administration at Harvard University.
Fox News Host: 'The O'Reilly Factor'
Upon leaving Harvard, O'Reilly was hired by the start-up Fox News Channel to host his own show, The O'Reilly Factor. With hard-driven interviews and blunt commentary, O'Reilly dealt with the nation's hottest issues in an atmosphere described by him and his show's producers as the "No Spin Zone." In 2001, The O'Reilly Factor became the country's most watched cable news program. Shortly thereafter, O'Reilly expanded his media presence to include a weekly syndicated newspaper column and a national radio show called The Radio Factor, which ran from 2002 to 2009.
With his direct style of commentary, O'Reilly became increasingly known for his controversial statements. One such example occurred during a discussion on the talk show The View, during which he said, "Muslims killed us on 9/11." Co-host Whoopi Goldberg condemned the statement, pointing out that O'Reilly should have been more specific, rather than just generalizing the attackers as "Muslims." Goldberg and fellow co-host Joy Behar walked off the set. Barbara Walters, the primary host of The View, did not approve of the walk-out, but did not condone O'Reilly's statement, either.
Successful Author
Along with his television work, O'Reilly has written numerous books. His published titles include the nonfiction bestsellers The O'Reilly Factor (2000) and The No Spin Zone (2001) as well as the novel Those Who Trespass (1998). He has also released the controversial historical thrillers Killing Lincoln (2011) and Killing Kennedy (2012), which sold millions, topped the New York Times best-sellers list, and were adapted into a movie by the History Channel.
In the fall of 2013, O'Reilly released Killing Jesus. Despite the book's title, the author insisted that it focused more on history than it did on religion or spirituality. He followed with the titles Killing Patton (2014), Killing Reagan (2015) and Killing the Rising Sun (2016). In 2016, O'Reilly also teamed with James Patterson for the children's book Give Please a Chance, and the following year he examined American culture wars with Old School.
Personal Troubles and Harassment Claims
In 1996, O'Reilly married Maureen McPhilmy, and together they had a daughter, Madeline, and a son, Spencer. A contentious separation took place in 2010, however, with a divorce following the next year. McPhilmy later alleged that O'Reilly used his connections and financial-donor influence with the Nassau County Police Department to launch an internal affairs investigation into McPhilmy's Nassau County detective boyfriend, whom she later married.
In 2004, Andrea Mackris, one of his show's associate producers, filed a lawsuit against O'Reilly for sexual harassment. She alleged that O'Reilly made several sexually explicit phone calls to her in which he described his fantasies to her and advised her to use a vibrator. The New York Daily News reported that O'Reilly agreed to pay Mackris anywhere from $2 million to $10 million to settle the suit. O'Reilly denied all accusations and stated that he did what he needed to do in order to close the matter in the best interests of his family.
In spring 2017, a story in The New York Times revealed that, along with Mackris, O'Reilly had reached settlements with four other women over allegations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior. The women, who either worked for O’Reilly or appeared on his program, cited a pattern of verbal abuse, unwanted advances and lewd comments and phone calls.
The news struck a nerve with sponsors, as dozens of companies pulled ads from The O’Reilly Factor in the following days. Additionally, the host faced the possibility of discipline from bosses at the parent company, 21st Century Fox, who had ousted Fox News chairman Roger Ailes over similar complaints the previous summer.
On April 19, 2017, Fox News announced that it had dropped O'Reilly from the network. 21st Century Fox issued a statement which read: "After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel."
New Path, New Charges
In the aftermath of his departure from his high-profile gig, O'Reilly sought to maintain his footing as a prominent conservative voice through different channels. He surfaced as a guest on other programs, and in August 2017 he launched the No Spin News show from his website. He also continued his popular book series with the release of Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence in September.
In October 2017, the controversial journalist returned to the headlines with news of a previously undisclosed settlement. The New York Times reported that, in addition to $13 million paid to other women over sexual harassment claims, O'Reilly had settled with former Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl for a staggering $32 million. Furthermore, the Times report revealed that 21st Century Fox was aware of the settlement before offering O'Reilly a new contract, leaving the media company open to criticism for not addressing the matter sooner.
On December 4, a woman who had reached a settlement with O’Reilly in 2002 over harassment allegations sued the former host and Fox News for defamation and breach of contract. The woman, Rachel Witlieb Bernstein, claimed that O’Reilly violated the nondisclosure terms of the settlement by going on the offensive against his accusers after his firing, portraying her as a liar and an extortionist. Mackris and another former Fox News employee, Rebecca Gomez Diamond, joined the suit before the end of the year.
In April 2018, the federal judge presiding over the suit denied O'Reilly's motion to seal his settlement agreements. The ruling allowed previously unknown terms of the settlements to come to light, including a provision that stated Mackris was to disclaim any leaked evidence from her case "as counterfeit or forgeries," as well as the rundown of financial penalties she faced should she violate terms of the agreement.
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Citation Information
Article Title
Bill O'Reilly Biography
Author
Biography.com Editors
Website Name
The Biography.com website
URL
https://www.biography.com/media-figure/bill-oreilly
Access Date
November 11, 2019
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
October 3, 2019
Original Published Date
April 2, 2014
Bill O’Reilly, a two-time Emmy Award winner for excellence in reporting, served as national correspondent for ABC News and as anchor of the nationally syndicated news magazine program Inside Edition before becoming executive producer and anchor of Fox News’s wildly popular The O’Reilly Factor. He is author of the megabestsellers The O’Reilly Factor, The No Spin Zone, and Who’s Looking Out for You?, as well as The O’Reilly Factor for Kids and the novel Those Who Trespass. He holds master’s degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Boston University.
Bill O'Reilly is a trailblazing TV journalist who has experienced unprecedented success on cable news and in writing fifteen national number-one bestselling nonfiction books. There are currently more than 17 million books in the Killing series in print. He lives on Long Island.
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For more than thirteen years, three-time Emmy Award winner Bill O’REillyhas presided over The O’Reilly Factor on the FOX News Channel, the highest-ratednews program on cable. Prior to that, he served as a national correspondent for ABCNews and as an anchor of the nationally syndicated news magazine program InsideEdition. He is the author of numerous megabestsellers, including A Bold Fresh Pieceof Humanity, a deeply personal memoir that has sold more than one million copies.
Q&A with Bill O'Reilly on 2020, #MeToo, and his new book
by Eddie Scarry
| September 24, 2019 12:01 PM
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Bill O'Reilly, bestselling author and former Fox News host, just released his new book United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America. I met with O'Reilly at his home in New York last week for an extended Q&A to talk about his book, his relationship with President Trump, and the 2020 Democratic primary. We also discussed his views on the media, his opinion on Fox News since his departure in 2017, and "cancel culture."
The interview has been edited and condensed.
You write that you've known Trump for 30 years and that your relationship informed your work on this book. What's your relationship with the president like now?
O'Reilly: There isn’t really a consistency to it. When he calls me, which is once in a while, we have a conversation about whatever he wants to talk about. I never call him, ever. I’m not and I never have been a person that curries favor. I have access to him when I need it. If I have a question, it gets answered. But my relationship with him, I would say, would be mostly business at this point. So, I think that he respects me, and he knows I’m honest, and he knows I’m tough and I’m not gonna, you know, pull back if I think he’s doing something wrong.
He still occasionally calls you?
O'Reilly: That’s what he does. And I always give it [the phone] to my son [Laughing]. So, yeah, he likes the trappings of the job. He likes the respect that obviously goes with the office and, you know, when people say he’s not going to run [for a second term], I go, this is the optimum of his life.
I've said this to other people who also know him somewhat personally. I think he's a little weird. Do you think he's weird?
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O'Reilly: I don’t look at him like that. … I know thousands of people that I actually deal with, way more than the average bear. Okay? And when I went to a [baseball] game with Trump or was in his proximity, nothing that he ever did seemed strange to me, ever. Now, he’s a rich guy. Rich guys are different than most people. He has a sense of entitlement. He can do whatever he wants to do and he gets instant gratification. That’s different from most people, but is it weird? Not to me, because I understand his circumstance and that’s what I brought to the book. But he is a linear thinker. He’s a logical thinker. You’ll notice in the book that we spend some time in the beginning of the book on what should his [reelection campaign] slogan be. His new slogan. And I said, "Keep America Great."
That is his reelection campaign slogan, so are you taking credit for that?
O'Reilly: Not really.
A little bit of credit?
O'Reilly: That’s what happened. Now his slogan is "Keep America Great" because he understands how I think and I said you have to move it along, alright? Now, I would have done that for Hillary Clinton. I would have done that for Joe Biden.
Race is always a big issue with the media's coverage of Trump and it goes back to the birther issue with Barack Obama. You write in your book that his reasoning behind that was not about race but it was a strategy to distinguish himself among other Republicans as the most anti-Obama candidate.
In my opinion, he couldn’t care less if Barack Obama was born in Hawaii or Antarctica. He doesn’t process things like that. He doesn’t think about Barack Obama, he never does. Unless you're in his orbit where he’s seeing you, he’s not thinking about you. That’s something that people don’t understand about Donald Trump, that his thought process is centered on the immediate, the immediacy. So, he doesn’t care how Barack Obama was raised or where he was born or anything like that. He figured out a lot of people didn’t like Barack Obama so he’s going to get on that train and it helped him. That’s why, in my opinion, he did it. Nothing to do with race, nothing to do with skin color. Donald Trump couldn’t care less about skin color. The guy doesn’t even think about it.
When Donald Trump first came onto the scene for the 2016 campaign, and people really started paying attention to his rallies and what he had to say, I thought he was a lot like you. Some people called him "The Fox News Candidate" but I thought he was more like you than anyone else in the media.
O'Reilly: Well, he used to watch my show every night and I think he adopted some of my mannerisms in the sense of confrontation. I don’t think there’s any question about that. At first, the media thought he was a clown. I never did. I didn’t think he would win but I knew he was a smart man. CNN and MSNBC were condescending but they would use him, they would put him on.
A lot of the media are still apologizing for what they think was their role in helping Trump get the 2017 Republican nomination, CNN chief Jeff Zucker in particular.
O'Reilly: So here’s a guy running for president that’s obviously gaining momentum and gaining attention. Why wouldn’t you put him on? Why wouldn’t you cover his rally when he’s uncensored and saying all of these … What else do you have to put in that’s better than that? He’s running for president. He might win. So that’s all a bunch of garbage. What Zucker and the other zealots, ideological people are angry about is, Trump turned the tables on them. Trump outfoxed them. That’s what he’s [Zucker] mad about. So, it’s what they call buyer’s remorse. They bought into the Trump rallies, they bought into the Trump traveling circus, and he won and they don’t like that. He totally outsmarted them.
You interviewed Trump for a few hours for your book. Do you think he's honest and completely forthcoming when he says "no collusion, no obstruction"?
O'Reilly: Well, I can tell you that Donald Trump does not believe that he did anything wrong vis-à-vis the Russia collusion story. So, he believes that he did nothing wrong. And secondly, I know for my reportorial efforts that there was no backroom plan to incorporate Russia to help the Trump campaign defeat Hillary Clinton. That did not exist. And it goes against — Donald Trump does not really operate that way. That’s not what he does. And that was one of the reasons that me writing the book was important because I can tell, knowing him for so long, what’s B.S., and what isn’t just on the surface. Then I have to delve underneath. He’s a manipulative man but he’s not a devious man and there’s a difference. And he was genuinely outraged and appalled that he was attacked like he was over this Russia thing.
Let's talk about 2020. What happened to Beto O'Rourke? He was the media guy until he wasn't.
O'Reilly: He’s an irresponsible, shallow thinker. Anybody that would support a man like Beto O’Rourke has got to look in the mirror and say, 'Is that really what you want, somebody who would call somebody the most heinous names? Racist, misogynist, whatever it may be. Somebody who will accuse the president of the United States of inciting violence in El Paso.' This is just irresponsible stuff. I have no respect for him at all. The way he’s conducted himself has been abysmal and he’s not going anywhere. He’s hurt himself. He will never be elected, in my opinion, to any [higher] office, ever.
I think O'Rourke bought into the media hype about himself. They said he was going to be the next Kennedy. RFK would be embarrassed. RFK’s a smart guy. Beto O’Rourke is not.
What about Pete Buttigieg?
O'Reilly: I like him. I think he’s sincere. He’s not a phony. I think that he’s got a future in Democratic politics. He’s in over his head now, but come on, he’s a small town mayor. Articulate, well-meaning, so he’s the kind of politician that I think the country needs. I don’t agree with him on some things but I don’t agree with most politicians on some things. But I think he’s sincere and I think he has a future.
#MeToo is still a factor in politics and Joe Biden ran into it early in his campaign.
O'Reilly: I don’t think that will be an issue in the presidential campaign. I think #MeToo has pretty much lost momentum. The Kavanaugh thing really hurt that movement and what we saw this week [the New York Times' report] was almost the final nail in it. It’s a fractured movement now.
In my forthcoming book Privilged Victims: How America's Culture Fascists Hijacked the Country and Elevated Its Worst People, I talk about #MeToo and how it has grown into something toxic. There was no widely recognized #MeToo movement when you were forced out of Fox for the allegations and settlements related to sexual misconduct.
O'Reilly: I’m not going to comment on my situation, because I made a decision that I would never be treated fairly by the media, ever, under any circumstances. I have good attorneys and we have taken a number of things to court and we have won. And that’s all I'm going to say.
I think the outcome of your situation would have been different had it taken place after the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Do you think that's true?
O'Reilly: No, because the press has not changed. You saw that with the Kavanaugh thing this week. They ran with it all day long. MSNBC and CNN, New York Times, whatever it may be, ran with it. Then when it all came apart, yeah, okay, that was it. And everyone in this country knows if you are accused, you are guilty. That’s it. You don’t get due process in the court of public opinion or in the media. You’re accused, you're done. This is really a problem in this country right now. Our statement was pretty clear when I left Fox News that I committed no wrong doing. I mistreated no one. I took five people from Fox News with me, four women to BillOReilly.com. My assistant for 27 years is a woman. It was insane and there is nothing I can do about it. I cannot right the wrong. I have to accept that.
Do you deny that you had sexual relationships with any of the women who accused you of misconduct?
O'Reilly: I’m not going to talk about it. Because once I start to talk about it, it opens it up again. And then it’s a he said, she said, and it’s not worth my while to talk about it at all.
What do you make of so-called cancel culture where celebrities and high profile people are losing their jobs and reputations over something they say or something they said years and years ago?
O'Reilly: Corporate America has to make a decision that they’re either going to have due process or they’re not. And right now they’ve made the decision that they’re not. It’s as simple as that. Corporations are doing this.
What do you make of Fox News now?
The brand is still very strong. There’s nowhere else for people who are Trump supporters to go. It’s not as bold as it was when I was there. I think that a lot of these attacks have worked, the boycotts and all of that. I think they’ve inhibited the operation to some extent. But it’s still a strong entity in America.
Bill O’Reilly promises he researched every line in new Trump book
By Cindy Adams
September 22, 2019 | 11:19pm
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Supermodest Bill O’Reilly: “I’m the biggest nonfiction author in history — 17 million copies in print.” OK. “No royalties. I’m paid in front.” OK. “My 2018 ‘Killing the SS’ is even in Bulgarian.” OK.
“Tomorrow, Holt’s first print is 700,000 of my new ‘The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America.’
“This book I researched myself. I wrote each word myself. Nothing anonymous. All primary sources. Eye witnesses. Every comment confirmed and authorized. People who’d been present or dug out confirmation.
“The president mightn’t like info such as his German grandfather in the flesh business. In the 1880s, for guys off to the Yukon, Grampa ran the Poodle Dog bordello in Seattle’s red-light district. I’ve got an actual letter from there.
“This is his actual life history. It’s rumored the Marla Maples New York Post headline ‘Best Sex I’ve Ever Had’ was Donald’s idea. I tracked that down. People there when he called it in confirmed this.
“Devoted to his father — a photo’s on his desk — but the relationship was complicated. His father didn’t like flash, publicity or New York City big life. Rambunctious Donald wanted action. Donald Jr. says it’s why he was sent to a military school.
“This fact-based account of a sitting president, in our lifetime, as history unfolds, will bring backlash. My book’s neither pro nor con. Every word true. I sent it to him and will probably hear from him at his usual 2 a.m.”
O’Reilly, then a TV reporter, met DJT 30 years ago and admits: “Not easy getting him in a sit-down. About not serving in Vietnam he was fairly forthcoming. Not a lot of contradiction. He dances but never misleads.
“USA won’t admit he’s brilliant and five steps ahead of most. Nobody could do what he did, hardscrabble, and get elected. He knows America’s feelings and how to market it. Not luck.
“Look, I just got fed up. Ninety percent of what’s reported is nonsense. He’s no second Messiah — and who knows what he’ll do? — but I will say the Democrats are helping him out.
“He has tenacity, perseverance. His flaw? Self-discipline. None when he’s aggrieved, when things go wrong. And defeating his own purpose is dumb. Who cares that he doesn’t like John Bolton? Instead of screaming the Democrats are Socialists, he’s tweeting about CNN’s corruption.
“But there’s a good chance he’s re-elected.”
Please pay attention
Everyone. Soon see Netflix’s new limited series. Titled “Madam C.J. Walker,” it will have an unlimited cast of Blair Underwood, Tiffany Haddish and Octavia Spencer . . .
Also see illusionist Derren Brown at the Cort Theatre. His psychological mind-playing is magic . . .
Vicky Tiel dressed Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman,” did the first ’60s minis, is today Paris’ longest-lasting female couturière, started designing actresses’ wardrobes probably before Clara Bow, and is now getting a TV series created around her life story. And doing it with Mia Fonssagrives who was Mrs. Louis Féraud.
Ex-fighter’s strife in black & white
Former Great White Hope boxer Gerry Cooney’s new autobio is “Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery.”
He writes that onetime heavyweight champ Larry Holmes always said, “Cooney only got a shot at the title because he was white. Now DNA discovered my mother’s grandmother was African-American! Me, the Great White Hope. My great-grandma was black. He’s interviewing on AftershockXL on the BattleChats Network.
“An advantage of being rich is that all your faults get called eccentricities.”
Muttered only in New York, kids, only in New York.
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Books
Bill O’Reilly says his book about President Trump will have ‘no spin’
Bill O’Reilly will publish “The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America,” about the life of President Trump.(Associated Press)
By Christie D’ZurillaStaff Writer
March 19, 2019 12:40 PM
Bill O’Reilly has a new book coming out about the life of President Trump, and he promises it will be a nonpartisan look at the experiences that have shaped Trump’s political and personal views.
“The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America” is to be released this fall by Henry Holt and Co. and is billed as “an up-to-the-minute intimate look” at POTUS’ “entire life,” written by someone who’s known Trump for more than three decades.
“‘The United States of Trump’ is essentially a history book about one of the most important political stories of all time,” O’Reilly said Tuesday in a release announcing the book. “How exactly did Donald Trump win the presidency and how has his view of America changed since he was elected? The book will have no anonymous sources and no spin.”
Henry Holt and Co. also publishes the former Fox News host’s bestselling “Killing” series of historical books — “Killing Reagan,” “Killing Lincoln,” “Killing the Rising Sun,” etc. — co-written with Martin Dugard. At least one, “Killing Jesus,” became a National Geographic Channel TV movie.
O’Reilly, who was Fox News’ biggest draw before getting fired in 2017 amid allegations of sexual harassment, has written 15 previous bestsellers and now hosts the daily “No Spin” podcast at billoreilly.com.
cdz@latimes.com
@theCDZ on Twitter and Instagram
Bill O’Reilly’s next book will cover how Trump ‘really sees America’
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March 19, 2019 | 10:13pm
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Former Fox News talk show host Bill O’Reilly said his next book will have the title “The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America” and is expected to hit bookstores in September from longtime publisher Henry Holt.
O’Reilly is predicting No. 1 status for his book.
“My ‘Killing’ series has 17 million copies in print,” he said. “I don’t think any other nonfiction can claim 15 consecutive No. 1 best-sellers.”
O’Reilly said he has known Trump for 30 years and interviewed him as recently as January, flying with him aboard Air Force One.
Regarding allegations by women who have had claims of sexual flings with Trump or been subject to sexually harassing behavior over the years, O’Reilly said, “I’m not handling it at all. I’m not writing about allegations.”
But he insisted his book will be history, and said all interviews will be on the record.
“I could care less about the pro-Trump media and the anti-Trump media. There will be no anonymous sources. I am using facts to drive the narrative.”
O’Reilly resigned from Fox in April 2017 after allegations of sexual harassment by a number of women surfaced — claims he has denied.
Since departing Fox, O’Reilly has been doing his own podcasts, “No Spin News.” The book “Killing the SS,” which came out after he left Fox, was also a No. 1 best-seller for six weeks.
For the latest book, he said he has been writing 1,000 to 2,000 words a day to meet a May deadline to finish the manuscript.
O'Reilly, Bill. Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator. Henry Holt/Macmillan, 2015.320p. $19.99.978-1-62779-396-4. Photos.
A skillfully organized overview of the fall of the Third Reich, O'Reilly's summary coordinates text with graphic photos for maximum impact. Pictures capture Hitler, General Eisenhower, Patton and Bradley, Hess and Bormann, and Field Marshal Montgomery in action, as well as the plight of the wounded and homeless. By writing in historical present tense, the author accentuates suspense parallel to the tension of the last months of World War II.
O'Reilly gives balanced credit to the Allies and the Soviets for ending the war. He incorporates crucial terms--panzer, bunker, Battle of the Bulge, racial purity, sterilization, typhus, cyanide--and manages the terror factor with sensitivity to the emotions of young readers. Concentration camp coverage is factual without being grisly. The inclusion of Hitler's will, a chronology, and primary and secondary indexing encourages readers to value historical research. This book is highly recommended for junior high and public libraries.--Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
(A) Highlighted Reviews
(B) Graphic Novel Format
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "O'Reilly, Bill. Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator." Voice of Youth Advocates, Oct. 2015, p. 84. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A432173061/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7def11ab. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A432173061
O'Reilly, Bill. Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator. Henry Holt/Macmillan, 2015.320p. $19.99.978-1-62779-396-4. Photos.
A skillfully organized overview of the fall of the Third Reich, O'Reilly's summary coordinates text with graphic photos for maximum impact. Pictures capture Hitler, General Eisenhower, Patton and Bradley, Hess and Bormann, and Field Marshal Montgomery in action, as well as the plight of the wounded and homeless. By writing in historical present tense, the author accentuates suspense parallel to the tension of the last months of World War II.
O'Reilly gives balanced credit to the Allies and the Soviets for ending the war. He incorporates crucial terms--panzer, bunker, Battle of the Bulge, racial purity, sterilization, typhus, cyanide--and manages the terror factor with sensitivity to the emotions of young readers. Concentration camp coverage is factual without being grisly. The inclusion of Hitler's will, a chronology, and primary and secondary indexing encourages readers to value historical research. This book is highly recommended for junior high and public libraries.--Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
(A) Highlighted Reviews
(B) Graphic Novel Format
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "O'Reilly, Bill. Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator." Voice of Youth Advocates, Oct. 2015, p. 84. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A432173061/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7def11ab. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A432173061
O'Reilly, Bill. The Day the President was Shot. Henry Holt/Macmillan, 2016. 256p. $19.99. 978-1-62779-699-6. Biblio. Source Notes. Further Reading. Time Line. Index. Photos.
Only two months into office, popular President Ronald Reagan becomes an assassin's target for the strangest of reasons. The fallout has ramifications for not only Reagan but for the office of President and for the nation during the depth of the Cold War with Russia. What brought Reagan and his unlikely assassin to that point, and what happened?
The latest book by well-known, conservative, political commentator O'Reilly cuts down his longer adult-marketed Killing Reagan to something more digestible for younger readers. He relates the story in sixteen very short chapters, skipping back in time as well as focusing on would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr.; the book includes a timeline in the back, along with a list of other attacks on U.S. presidents, and other Reagan-related tidbits. Including Reagan's personal relationships, especially Nancy as the love of his life and the backbone of his campaigning, prevents the brevity of the short format from lacking human interest. Concise and relatable language supported by photos and documentation creates a compelling look at an incident that created ripples well into the current day, as O'Reilly describes how policies and attitudes changed in its wake. Largely avoiding politics, he provides an unbiased look at the relevant domestic and global context for an intended readership born in an age of internet and mobile phones. While denouncing the act of attempted killing, and giving it proper weight, O'Reilly also tries to understand rather than demonize Hinckley, Jr. This title will be of interest to history buffs, as well as young adults interested in presidential life.--Lisa Martincik.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
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Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Martincik, Lisa. "O'Reilly, Bill. The Day the President was Shot." Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec. 2016, p. 84. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A474768035/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=51f92cd1. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474768035