Bill O’Reilly Wife And Children, Family, Height, Divorce, Where Is He Now?

Quick Facts

Bill O’Reilly, one of the most popular faces in the US media. The TV anchor, presenter, journalist and newspaper columnist began his career in broadcasting as far back as in the late 1970s and early 1980. In his career that has spanned almost four decades, he has worked with so many media firms, anchored several TV shows, interviewed lots of important personalities, written articles and authored several books.

Bill’s life and career have also been plagued with allegations of sexual harassments. An investigation report released by New York Times revealed that the well-known TV anchor had spent about $50 million settling several women who had accused him of sexual harassments. FOX News in 2017, sacked him for his several involvements in different harassment cases.  Here is all you need to know about the TV Icon.

A Brief Bio

Bill was born on 10th September 1949 in New York City, US as William James O’Reilly Jr. to William James Sr. and Winifred Angela (nee Drake). His father was from Brooklyn and his mom from Teaneck, New Jersey. His ancestry is Irish with a mix of English (Colonial American).

His family lived in a small apartment in Fort Lee, until 1951, when they relocated to Levittown, on Long Island. He has a sister, named Janet. O’Reilly was born into a Catholic family so he began his education at St. Brigid parochial school – a private Catholic school in Westbury New York, then proceeded to Chaminade High School, a private Catholic boys high school located in Mineola.

After High School in 1967, Bill further attended Marist College where he wrote for the college newspaper, Circle. He graduated with a B.A in History. O’Reilly also spent his junior year of college abroad, attending Queen Mary College at the University of London. He bagged an MA in broadcast journalism from Boston University and an MPA from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Career

After graduating from Marist College, Bill relocated to Miami where he took a job at Monsignor Pace High School as an English teacher, he taught for two years (1970-1972) before returning to Boston for his masters. While at Boston, he worked for various local newspapers and alternative newsweeklies as a reporter and columnist.

He began his broadcasting career fully when he took up the job of an anchor and reporter at WNEP-TV Scranton, Pennsylvania. His expertise was soon seen by all and was rewarded by WFAA-TV, Dallas, which awarded him with the Dallas Press Club Award for excellence in investigative reporting. He soon moved to KMGH-TV Denver, where he received his second career award which happened to be a local Emmy Award for his coverage of a skyjacking.

From KMGH-TV Denver, Bill worked for KATU, Portland, Oregon, and then for WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut, and WNEV-TV Boston from 1984 to 1985.

In 1986 he became a correspondent for ABC News. After listening to the eulogy Bill delivered at the funeral of a friend and co-ABC correspondent, Joe Spencer, the then ABC News president Roone Arledge decided to hire him and he soon began hosting daytime news briefs – a short preview that preceded stories to be reported on the day’s World News Tonight. He also began working as a general assignment reporter for ABC News programs, including World News Tonight, Nightline, and Good Morning America.

While at ABC Bill O’Reilly received two Emmy awards and a National Headliner Award for his expertise and excellence in reporting but his career would take a new turn when he was employed by FOX Channel which soon gave him his own show – O’Reilly Report, which was later renamed O’ Reilly Factor. The television news talk show was first aired on FOX News in October and soon took over the screens and was soon rated the most watched in the nation with over two million viewers.

While he was with Fox, Bill also hosted a radio show The radio factor which was also a hit with over 3.26 million listeners and aired in over 400 radio stations. FOX News eventually had to terminate his appointment in October 2017, following his several sexual involvement and harassment cases.

Bill has authored several bestsellers including the popular “Killing Jesus’ and ‘Killing Lincoln’ – a book which mirrors famous assassinations and deaths in history and ‘Killing Reagan’ which was a huge success and gained worldwide recognition entering the top seller list just a few weeks after its release in September 2015.

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Bill O’Reilly’s Family – Wife, Children,

Bill O’Reilly was married once and it was to a public relations executive, Maureen E. McPhilmy. They met sometime in 1992 and got married four years later at St. Brigid Parish of Westbury, New York.

They welcomed their first child (a daughter) Madeline in 1998 and a son, Spencer in 2003.

Divorce

The couple, however, had to go their separate ways in 2011 over allegations of infidelity, domestic violence, and harassment. They separated in 2010 and finalized their divorce on September 1, 2011.

Following the custody trial, in 2015, his daughter, Madeline, testified to have witnessed her father choking her mom and dragging her down the stairs of their home by the neck. Bill, however, denied the allegation and declined to make further comments on the allegation citing respect for court-mandated confidentiality in order to protect his children. In 2016, Bill O’Reilly lost custody of both of his children.

Where Is He Now?

Bill has kept himself busy with other things since his departure from Fox News. In April 2017, he launched a podcast called No Spin News and by August he began digitally streaming a video version of No Spin News.

In May 2017, he became a recurring Friday guest on the Glenn Beck Radio Program, he also co-headlined a public speaking tour titled The Spin Stops Here alongside stand-up comedian Dennis Miller in June 2017.

O’Reilly made his first appearance on Fox News since his sack in September 2017, being interviewed by  on The Sean Hannity Show.

Height And Other Facts

The media Icon stands at 6 feet 3 inches, weighing 98kg.

His net worth is put at $85 million. His annual salary as at 2016 was an estimated $18 million. He reportedly has a house in Manhasset, NY, on Long Island.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.