William James O'Reilly Jr. (born September 10, 1949) is an American journalist, author, and former television host. During the late 1970s and 1980s, he 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. In 1996, O'Reilly joined the Fox News Channel 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 departure.[2][3][4][5][6] He is the author of several books and hosted The Radio Factor (2002–2009).[7] Since 2017, he has hosted the No Spin News podcast, which he founded after being fired from Fox.[8]
