Photo: Bill O'Reilly at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.jpg : World Affairs Council of Philadelphia derivative work: Karppinen ( talk ) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Born in United States · Nationality American — television / opinion journalism / Fox News / civil litigation
Documented profile covering 10 controversies, including “2016–January 2017: Confidential settlement of Juliet Huddy's allegations” and “January 2017: $32 million settlement with Lis Wiehl over misconduct allegations”.
Profile No. 2204 · Updated on 12 October 2026
§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology
2016–January 2017
Former presenter Juliet Huddy accused O'Reilly of unwanted sexual advances and professional retaliation after her refusal. Fox reached a confidential six-figure settlement.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
January–October 2017
O'Reilly reached a confidential settlement reportedly worth $32 million with Fox legal analyst and contributor Lis Wiehl following serious misconduct allegations, shortly before Fox renewed his contract.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
28 March 2017
Commenting on a speech by Representative Maxine Waters, O'Reilly said he had not listened because he was looking at her "James Brown wig", prompting criticism of racism and sexism.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1–19 April 2017
Revelations that several women had received millions of dollars in total to settle harassment and inappropriate-conduct allegations led dozens of advertisers to withdraw. After reviewing the allegations, 21st Century Fox announced that O'Reilly would not return to Fox News.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
26–27 July 2016
Reacting to Michelle Obama's speech noting that the White House was built partly by enslaved people, O'Reilly added that they were "well fed" and provided with decent accommodation by the government, prompting widespread criticism for minimising slavery.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
October 2016
The O'Reilly Factor broadcast a segment by Jesse Watters in Chinatown using stereotypes about Asians, martial arts, stolen goods and North Korea. Organisations and public officials described it as racist and humiliating.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
February 2015
Former CBS colleagues and archival material disputed O'Reilly's description of his 1982 reporting in Buenos Aires as a "war zone" experience during the Falklands conflict, although he had not been on the islands.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
February 2015
During the re-examination of his reporting accounts, several former Inside Edition colleagues disputed O'Reilly's claim that his team had been subjected to a barrage of bricks and concrete during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
February–March 2015
After further checks, Fox acknowledged that O'Reilly had not personally witnessed bombings in Northern Ireland or the murder of nuns in El Salvador, contrary to earlier wording that could have suggested otherwise. O'Reilly subsequently clarified that he had seen footage of the violence.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
October 2004
Producer Andrea Mackris sued O'Reilly and Fox for sexual harassment, notably describing sexually explicit telephone conversations. O'Reilly countersued for extortion. Both cases were confidentially settled and withdrawn.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
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