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“The more laws that governments pass, the less individual freedom there is. Any student of history will tell you that. Totalitarian countries ban pretty much everything.” Once the most prominent name in conservative journalism and news commentary, Bill O’Reilly’s star has fallen, but not too far.

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Some will gladly refer to Bill O’Reilly as a blowhard and many openly celebrated his fall from grace as the anchor of nightly television on Fox News. Even O’Reilly refers to himself as a bit of a loudmouth, saying, “I’m a sensationalist. I’m a big mouth. I get attention. In this world you have to – if you want a mass-market presentation, you have to get attention.” Getting attention is something he excels at.

Best known for his role on The O’Reilly Factor, the nightly news commentary program he hosted on Fox News, O’Reilly has a long history in journalism and news commentary. He is also the author of several books. O’Reilly first came into nationwide prominence as the anchor of the television series, Inside Edition in 1989. He left the who in 1994. His run on The O’Reilly Factor began in 1996 and continued until 2017. This is when reports of settlements O’Reilly paid to settle sexual harassment allegations became public and the network fired O’Reilly.

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Early Life and Career of Bill O’Reilly

Before Bill O’Reilly was a household name, he was an ordinary American kid. He attended parochial school. He played Little League baseball as a child and went on to play as goalie on his high school’s varsity hockey team. He grew up Irish and Catholic and

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After graduating high school, he attended Marist College in New York, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He taught high school history and English from 1970 to 1972 before returning to college, this time at Boston University, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in broadcast journalism. Much later, in 1995, O’Reilly attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, earning a Master of Public Administration degree in 1996.

It was after this that his career really began to move in a different direction. While he had worked for various local news stations in Pennsylvania, Denver, Oregon, Connecticut, and Boston along the way, and even on Inside Edition at this point. It wasn’t until after 1995 that O’Reilly really found his niche in the field of conservative commentary. His show soared in ratings and was a real Boon for Fox News Channel in its formative years and beyond.

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After leaving Fox News, O’Reilly has remained busy and actively involved as a conservative voice though he identifies, politically, as an Independent. In addition to the No Spin News podcast, O’Reilly is a regular guest on the Glenn Beck Radio Program, host of the nationally syndicated radio commentary show, The O’Reilly Update.

Bill O’Reilly the Author

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In addition to the many media projects Bill O’Reilly has going on, he always writes a regular column and daily briefing, that is available to subscribers through a premium subscription. Aside from that, he is a prolific author having written or co-authored more than 29 books, including: Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing the SS, Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault that Changed a Presidency, Killing Jesus, Lincoln’s Last Days, Give Please a Chance, The Day the World Went Nuclear, and the upcoming book, The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America.

As much as Bill O’Reilly is known for his use of the language in making pithy comments to guests, he is also known for offering “no holds barred” commentary with phrases like “You’re in the no spin zone,” or “Don’t be a pinhead.” These are the words that keep the audiences coming back for more. Mainly to see what O’Reilly has to say next.

One issue that is near and dear to O’Reilly and that he discusses often in his programming across multiple networks and outlets, is the idea of the family unit and American family values as instrumental qualities that exemplify what it means to be an American, to invite success, and to overcome obstacles. He discusses it numerous times saying things like, “The traditional American family has always been the foundation for success in America.”

Whether you’re a fan of Bill O’Reilly or just taking the time to learn a little more about his long-lived and inarguably successful career, it is important to take much of what the man says with the same grain of salt he likely intended it.