For over 20 years Bill O’Reilly was the undisputed king of cable news. As the host of Fox News’ hit show The O’Reilly Factor he commanded multi-million dollar salaries and dominated the ratings. But how much did Fox actually pay their top talent O’Reilly at the height of his career? Let’s take an inside look at the huge money behind Bill O’Reilly’s tenure at Fox News.
O’Reilly’s Sky-High Salary at Fox
At his peak O’Reilly earned an estimated $18 million per year from Fox News. This made him by far the highest paid personality on cable news.
To put his massive Fox salary into perspective:
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He earned over 5 times more than MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who made $7 million annually.
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His pay was 50% higher than rival anchors like Megyn Kelly ($12 million) and Sean Hannity ($15 million).
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When you combined his Fox earnings with income from books and speaking, his total compensation was $37 million per year.
So why did Fox pay O’Reilly so excessively? Simple – his show generated monster ratings and advertising revenue.
Massive Ad Dollars for The O’Reilly Factor
According to Kantar Media, The O’Reilly Factor pulled in $446 million in ad revenue between 2014 and 2016. That’s an incredible amount from a single hour of TV per day.
At its peak, O’Reilly’s show averaged over 3 million viewers, making it the highest rated cable news program for 16 consecutive years.
With ratings like that, it’s no wonder advertisers flocked to The Factor. Fox could easily justify O’Reilly’s huge pay based on the ad dollars he reeled in.
The End of O’Reilly’s Fox Tenure
In April 2017, the New York Times reported that 5 women received $13 million in payouts from O’Reilly over sexual harassment and misconduct accusations.
In the wake of the Times’ report, over 50 companies pulled ads from O’Reilly’s show. The loss of ad money combined with the public scandal ultimately led Fox to terminate its star anchor.
Here are some key facts around O’Reilly’s Fox exit:
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Multiple women received settlements between $1 million to $9 million for harassment claims against O’Reilly.
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Major advertisers that abandoned his show included Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW, Allstate, and T. Rowe Price.
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Fox News parted ways with O’Reilly in April 2017, despite his denials of any wrongdoing.
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His show continued with guest hosts for a few months before being canceled completely.
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Fox likely owed him around $18 million in severance pay per his contract terms.
The Impact of O’Reilly on Cable News
While his Fox tenure imploded, O’Reilly’s effect on today’s partisan cable news landscape remains undeniable:
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He pioneered the shift from straight news to personality-driven opinion and commentary.
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His aggressive debate style set the tone for other primetime cable hosts.
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He presaged the rise of divisive political issues and culture wars in cable media.
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He was the prototype for non-traditional TV anchors gaining big followings.
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He helped build the Fox News brand into the #1 most-watched cable news network.
O’Reilly had an innate sense for what played well with Fox’s conservative base viewers. He weaponized those insights into longstanding #1 ratings.
O’Reilly’s Career Before and After Fox News
O’Reilly had a long broadcast career before and after his two-decade Fox News run:
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He began in local TV news working as a reporter and anchor at WNEP in Scranton in the late 1970s.
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In the 1980s, he transitioned to the national stage with correspondent roles at CBS and ABC News.
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He hosted tabloid TV newsmagazine Inside Edition from 1989 to 1995.
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After leaving Fox, he started a subscriber-only online show called No Spin News.
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He continues to write best-selling books and tour with his “History Tour” live show.
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He maintains an active social media presence and hosts a popular podcast called The O’Reilly Update.
So while no longer a cable TV juggernaut, O’Reilly continues to have a significant media platform and following.
The Bottom Line on O’Reilly’s Fox Salary
At his peak popularity, Bill O’Reilly earned an astronomical $18 million per year from Fox News. His show generated over $400 million in ad revenue from 2014-2016 alone.
Though sexual misconduct allegations ended his Fox tenure in shame, O’Reilly’s legacy of pioneering partisan opinion programming remains intact. The dollars reflect just how big of a star Fox built and eventually lost.
O’Reilly Reports on Celebrities Who Pledged to Leave the U.S.
FAQ
What happened with Bill o reilly and Fox News?
The New York Times reported five cases of sexual misconduct against O’Reilly in 2017. He was fired from Fox News because of these reports. Since then, O’Reilly has been the host of the No Spin News podcast, which has grown into a TV show that first aired on Newsmax and then on The First.
What happened to the O’Reilly Factor?
Cancellation. The New York Times wrote about five sexual harassment settlements between O’Reilly and Fox News. Within a week, more than half of The O’Reilly Factor’s advertisers pulled their ads.
How much did Fox News Pay Bill O’Reilly?
A story in the New York Times on Saturday said that Fox News and Bill O’Reilly have paid a total of $13 million to five women since 2002 to settle harassment claims against the Fox host.
What was Bill O’Reilly’s annual salary?
Kantar Media says that from 2014 to 2016, Bill O’Reilly’s show brought in almost $450 million in ad revenue for Fox News. Before he was fired, he also signed a new deal that would have raised his salary to $25 million a year for February 2017.
How much did Bill O’Reilly get paid for sexual harassment?
During his more than 20 years at Fox News, Bill O’Reilly was accused of sexual harassment more than once. The largest settlement, totaling $32 million, was paid to former legal analyst Lis Wiehl. Other settlements, totaling $13 million, were made to resolve other claims.
Why did Bill O’Reilly leave Fox News?
Bill O’Reilly quit Fox News after an article in The New York Times talked about how he had paid out a lot of money to women who had accused him of sexual misconduct. Here’s more about Bill O’Reilly, his rise to fame, and how much money the former Fox News host has now that he was fired.
How much did Bill O’Reilly pay to Lis Wiehl?
Bill O’Reilly paid $32 million to settle a sexual misconduct allegation with Fox News colleague Lis Wiehl. The staggering sum was revealed in a New York Times exposé on Saturday. The story immediately raised new questions about the ongoing Justice Department investigation into Fox News.
Why did Bill O’Reilly lose his job at Fox?
Bill O’Reilly lost his job at Fox in April after reports of sexual harassment allegations and settlements. The $32 million payout to one of the accusers is the highest known settlement. Two sources confirmed the $32 million figure to CNN on condition of anonymity.
