Bill O’Reilly Bio, Age, Family, Career, Shows, News, Net Worth and Height

This article will answer every question you have about Bill O’Reilly. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.

  1. What does Bill O’Reilly do for a living?
  2. Who are Bill O’Reilly’s parents and siblings?
  3. What are Bill O’Reilly’s interests and hobbies?
  4. Is Bill O’Reilly married or does he have a girlfriend?
  5. Does Bill O’Reilly have any children?
  6. Where is Bill O’Reilly now?
  7. How tall is Bill O’Reilly?
  8. How much money does Bill O’Reilly earn?
  9. What is Bill O’Reilly’s net worth?

N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.

Who is Bill O’Reilly?

Bill O’Reilly is an American journalist, author, and former television host. O’Reilly’s broadcasting career began during the late 1970s and 1980s when 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 ouster. He is the author of numerous books and hosted The Radio Factor (2002–2009). O’Reilly is a conservative commentator.

O’Reilly’s media career took a major blow after a series of 2017 New York Times investigations revealed that he had paid six women nearly $50 million to settle various sexual misconduct 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. He subsequently began hosting a podcast, No Spin News. In October 2017, The New York Times reported that O’Reilly was also sued by former Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl for allegedly initiating a “nonconsensual sexual relationship” with her. O’Reilly paid Wiehl $32 million to confidentially settle the lawsuit, and when the details of this settlement were leaked, O’Reilly was dropped by the United Talent Agency.

Bill O’Reilly’s 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.

A photo of Bill O'Reilly
A photo of Bill O’Reilly

O’Reilly also worked for KATU in Portland, Oregon, from 1984 to 1985, WFS B in Hartford, Connecticut, and WNEV-TV (now WHDH-TV) in Boston. 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.

CBS News

In 1982, he became a CBS News correspondent, 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.

 ABC News

In 1986, O’Reilly moved to ABC News, where, during his three-year tenure, he received two Emmy Awards and two National Headliner Awards for excellence in reporting. 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 1985–86 Hormel strike. ABC News president Roone Arledge, who attended Spencer’s funeral, decided to hire O’Reilly after hearing the eulogy. 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 AmericaNightline, and World News Tonight.

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. He became the program’s anchor three weeks into its run after the involvement of original anchor David Frost had ended.

 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. 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.

Departure from Fox News

In April 2017, The New York Times reported that Fox News and O’Reilly had settled five lawsuits involving women who accused O’Reilly of misconduct. After the settlements were reported, the O’Reilly Factor lost more than half its advertisers within a week; almost 60 companies withdrew their television advertising from the show amid a growing backlash against O’Reilly. 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. On April 19, Fox News announced that O’Reilly would not be returning to the network. The program has subsequently renamed The Factor on April 19 and aired its last episode on April 21.

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. 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.

Post-Fox News career

O’Reilly launched a podcast called No Spin News on April 24, 2017, after his departure from Fox News. In August 2017, O’Reilly began digitally streaming a video version of No Spin News. In May 2017, O’Reilly began to appear as a recurring guest on Friday editions of the Glenn Beck Radio Program. In June 2017, O’Reilly and Dennis Miller co-headlined the public speaking tour, “The Spin Stops Here.”

O’Reilly made his first appearance on Fox News since his ouster on September 26, 2017, being interviewed by Sean Hannity. In July 2020, O’Reilly’s show No Spin News began to air on Newsmax TV, alongside his periodical appearances as a guest on other programs of the conservative cable television news channel.

How Old is Bill O’Reilly?

O’Reilly was born on September 10, 1949, In New York City. He is currently 71 years old.

Bill O’Reilly‘s Family

Who are Bill O’Reilly’s parents?

O’Reilly’s parents are named William James Sr. and Winifred Angela (Drake) O’Reilly from Brooklyn and Teaneck, New Jersey, respectively.

Does Bill O’Reilly have siblings?

O’Reilly has a sister named Janet.

Bill O’Reilly‘s Education

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. 

After graduating from Chaminade in 1967, O’Reilly attended Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. While at Marist, he was a punter in the National Club Football Association and also wrote for the school’s newspaper, The Circle. O’Reilly 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. He received his bachelor of arts degree in history in 1971.

Bill O’Reilly‘s wife

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. The couple separated on April 2, 2010, and were divorced on September 1, 2011.

Bill O’Reilly‘s Children – Kids

O’Reilly has a daughter Madeline (born 1998) and a son Spencer (born 2003).

Bill O’Reilly’s Net Worth

O’Reilly has an estimated net worth of 85 million dollars.

Height/Measurements

O’Reilly stands at 1.73 m tall.

Bill O’Reilly’s Twitter Account