For a long time, Bill O’Reilly was seen as the king of cable news. His primetime show The O’Reilly Factor at Fox News ruled the ratings for over 16 years. But how much does Fox News’s biggest star get paid? Let’s look at Bill O’Reilly’s huge salary and how much money his show made from ads.
O’Reilly’s Sky-High Salary
At his peak O’Reilly earned an estimated $18 million per year from Fox News. That made him the highest paid personality on cable news by far. To put it into perspective
She made $18 million in 2016, while Megyn Kelly made $15 million and Sean Hannity made $12 million.
His pay was more than five times what MSNBC’s top anchor, Rachel Maddow, made, who made $7 million a year.
Forbes estimated O’Reilly’s annual income was $37 million when you combined his Fox News salary with additional income from books and speaking fees
So why did Fox News pay O’Reilly so much? Simple – his show generated monster ratings and ad revenue.
Massive Ad Revenue for The O’Reilly Factor
The O’Reilly Factor pulled in $446 million in advertising revenue between 2014 and 2016 according to Kantar Media. That’s a staggering amount for a single hour of television per day.
The show’s ratings also dominated cable news with an average of 3.7 million viewers in early 2017. It was the highest rated cable news program for 16 years straight.
All that viewership and exposure was like catnip for advertisers. So Fox News could easily justify O’Reilly’s huge salary based on the ad dollars he reeled in.
Why O’Reilly’s Time at Fox Ended
In April 2017, the New York Times reported that 5 women received payouts totaling $13 million for accusing O’Reilly of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.
Following the Times’ report, over 50 advertisers pulled ads from O’Reilly’s show. The loss of ad revenue combined with the public relations headache ultimately led Fox News to part ways with its star anchor.
Some key facts about his departure:
O’Reilly denied any wrongdoing related to the harassment claims.
He was forced out of Fox News in April 2017 after over 20 years at the network.
Multiple women received payouts between $1 million to $9 million to settle harassment accusations.
Major advertisers that pulled ads included Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW, Mitsubishi, Lexus, Constant Contact, Untuckit, Allstate, and T. Rowe Price.
The O’Reilly Factor continued for a few months with rotating guest hosts before being canceled completely.
How O’Reilly Changed Cable News
While his time at Fox ended unceremoniously, it’s undeniable the impact O’Reilly had on cable news over more than two decades on the air. Here are some of the ways he changed the landscape:
He helped shift cable news towards more opinion-driven content with his brash commentary and unapologetic points of view.
He popularized the lively, heated debate style of primetime cable shows over straight news anchoring.
He set the stage for other partisan personalities like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity to thrive at Fox.
His focus on culture war issues and political division presaged the rise of tribal politics.
He fostered Fox’s development into the #1 most-watched cable news network.
He paved the way for non-traditional TV news figures and commentators to gain large followings.
O’Reilly had an intuitive understanding of what formats and topics resonated most with Fox’s conservative base. He weaponized that insight into phenomenal ratings success.
O’Reilly’s Career Prior to Fox News
Before rising to cable news stardom at Fox, O’Reilly had a long career in both broadcast TV and print journalism:
He began his TV career in Scranton, Pennsylvania working as a reporter and anchor for WNEP-TV in the late 1970s.
In the 1980s, he transitioned to the national stage – first as an anchor for CBS, then as a reporter for ABC News.
He went on to host the syndicated tabloid news show Inside Edition from 1989 to 1995.
On the print side, he was a broadcast journalist for CBS News and a columnist for USA Today throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.
So he brought decades of combined broadcast and print experience when he joined the just-launched Fox News Channel in 1996.
O’Reilly’s Career After Leaving Fox
What has O’Reilly been up to since his cable news reign ended in shame and controversy? Here are the highlights:
In 2019, he launched a new show called No Spin News on his website billoreilly.com. It streams for paying subscribers.
He continues to regularly release books, often co-authored with Martin Dugard. Recent titles include Killing Crazy Horse, Killing the Mob, and Killing the Killers.
He launched a podcast called The O’Reilly Update that discusses current events and politics three days a week.
He tours around the country performing “The History Tour” live shows along with presidential historian Douglas Brinkley.
He maintains an active social media presence with millions of followers on platforms like Twitter and YouTube.
He still occasionally guest hosts radio shows to weigh in on topics in the news cycle.
He promotes products and services to his followers through paid sponsorships and ads.
So while no longer the cable news juggernaut he once was, O’Reilly managed to craft a smaller but still lucrative media empire after his Fox downfall.
The Bottom Line
At his peak popularity and pay, Bill O’Reilly earned an astounding $18 million per year from Fox News. His show generated over $400 million in advertising from 2014-2016 alone.
But sexual harassment accusations ended his cable news career in 2017, forcing Fox to oust its highest paid and biggest ratings draw. Despite that inglorious exit, O’Reilly’s impact on opinion-based partisan news programming remains undeniable.
Bill O’Reilly talks about Megyn Kelly, Fox News
FAQ
Does Bill Oreilly still work for Fox?
On April 19, Fox News announced that O’Reilly would not be returning to the network. The program was subsequently renamed The Factor on April 19 and aired its last episode on April 21.
What is the Fox News harassment settlement?
New York watchdogs fined Fox News $1m for violating sexual harassment and job retaliation laws, in a settlement that also included Fox suspending a policy that requires people who allege misconduct to enter into binding arbitration.
What happened with Gretchen Carlson?
Gretchen Carlson was originally known for asking fiery questions on Fox News in the 2000s. That changed when, in 2016, she tried to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against her boss, Roger Ailes, and found she was bound to a forced arbitration clause in her contract.
How much did Fox News Pay Bill O’Reilly?
A New York Times investigation published on Saturday revealed that Fox News and Bill O’Reilly have paid a cumulative $13 million to five women since 2002 to settle harassment allegations brought against the Fox host.
How much money does Bill O’Reilly make a year?
Bill O’Reilly will receive a maximum of one year’s salary following his ouster from Fox News, according to multiple reports. His annual salary is thought to be worth about $25 million.
Did Bill O’Reilly settle a sex harassment claim with Lis Wiehl?
Bill O’Reilly poses on the set of “The O’Reilly Factor” in 2015. Richard Drew / AP file Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly settled a sex harassment claim for $32 million with a former legal analyst Lis Wiehl, according to an explosive report from The New York Times Saturday.
What happened to the O’Reilly Factor?
“The O’Reilly Factor” was one of the biggest shows in cable news — earning around $326 million a year in advertising revenue, but its host was forced off air after The New York Times broke news of harassment allegations earlier this year.
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