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{{Short description|American cable television news and talk show (1996–2017)}}{{Redirect|The Factor|other articles with similar names|Factor (disambiguation){{!}}Factor}}{{pp-move}}{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}}

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image	The O'Reilly Factor - title sequence image.png {{nowrap|(1996–1998){edih} The Factor (2017)}}	Talk show|}}	Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)>Bill O'Reilly| presenter = Bill O'Reilly| theme_music_composer = Scott Schreer| country = United States| language = English| num_seasons = 21| num_episodes =	Multi-camera setup>Multi-camera| runtime = 60 minutes| company = Fox News| network = Fox News Channel		The O'Reilly Factor (originally titled The O'Reilly Report and also known as The Factor) was an American cable television news and talk show. The O'Reilly Factor first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7, 1996, the same day the network launched. It was hosted by independent commentator Bill O'Reilly, who discussed current events and controversial political issues with guests. The final episode aired on April 21, 2017.NEWS,weblink Bill O'Reilly's Name Wiped From 'The Factor' After Fox News Parts Ways With Star, de Moraes, Lisa, April 19, 2017, Deadline Hollywood, Penske Media Corporation, United States, April 20, 2017, Format File:Bill O'Reilly interviews former President George W. Bush, November 2010 (cropped).JPG|thumb|left|Bill O'Reilly interviews former President George W. Bush for The O’Reilly Factor at the Air Force Museum, November 11, 2010]]The O'Reilly Factor was generally pre-recorded, though on occasion it aired live if breaking news or special events were being covered (e.g., presidential addresses that occurred during prime-time and debate coverage). It was usually taped between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time and aired weekdays at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. The show was recorded "live to tape", meaning that the recording broke for commercials as if the show was actually on the air while being recorded. Some guests were interviewed before the "live to tape" period and were slotted in the program as appropriate.WEB,weblink Bill O'Reilly, Behind the Scenes Q & A, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150623183619weblink">weblink Jun 23, 2015, He began every show with the catch phrase from September 2004 to April 11, 2017, "Caution! You are about to enter the No Spin Zone. The Factor begins right now!" followed by the theme song, and then saying "Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly, thanks for watching us tonight," introducing the topic of the first segment, followed by "and that is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo", a monologue which was often followed with an interview on the same topic.{{citation|first=Adam|last=Buckman|work=MediaPost|url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/299478/and-thats-that-the-oreilly-factor-is-no-more.html|date=April 20, 2017|title=And That's That: 'The O'Reilly Factor' Is No More |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520063335weblink |archive-date= May 20, 2022 }}O'Reilly and his producers discussed potential topics twice a week.WEB,weblink Bostonia, Defining the Line at the O'Reilly Factory, Jean Hennelly, Keith, Fall 2001, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071014174608weblink">weblink October 14, 2007, mdy-all, Guest hosts included: Eric Bolling,NEWS, Carson Stands by Comments That Planned Parenthood Targets Black Communities,weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, August 13, 2015, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170422032946weblink">weblink Apr 22, 2017, Monica Crowley,NEWS, Has Race Become a Factor in Michael Jackson Coverage?,weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, June 30, 2009, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170421194630weblink">weblink April 21, 2017, Greg Gutfeld,NEWS, Dr. Carson: 'The Community Has to Recognize That a Thug Is a Thug',weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, December 22, 2014, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170422032828weblink">weblink Apr 22, 2017, E. D. Hill,NEWS, N-Word Debate Back in Spotlight After Jesse Jackson's Remarks,weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, July 21, 2008, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170422032949weblink">weblink Apr 22, 2017, Laura Ingraham,NEWS, Bill O'Reilly: Obama's Op-Ed 'Is a Little Disingenuous',weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, July 22, 2011, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170422033133weblink">weblink Apr 22, 2017, John Kasich,NEWS, Racism Charges Over Vogue Magazine Cover Featuring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen,weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, March 28, 2008, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170422032952weblink">weblink Apr 22, 2017, Michelle Malkin,NEWS, 'Factor' Flashback: 'Godfather of Soul' talks with Bill,weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, December 27, 2006, Tony Snow,NEWS, Couey's Confession Is Released,weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, July 1, 2005, and Juan Williams.NEWS, UCLA Professor Investigates Liberal Media Bias in New Book,weblink April 21, 2017, Fox News, August 5, 2011, Audience Early in 2009, the show's ratings increased.WEB,weblink Obama Administration Boosts Factor TV Ratings, February 6, 2009, Bill, Gorman, TV by the Numbers, Tribune Media, Tribune Digital Ventures, United States, May 27, 2010, November 1, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101101114148weblink">weblink dead, In July 2009, Hal Boedeker blogged that The O'Reilly Factor peaked at 3.1 million viewers which was an increase of 37% from the previous year.WEB,weblink Fox News dominates July ratings; Bill O'Reilly again tops — and Nancy Grace makes impressive gains, Hal, Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel, tronc, Tronc, Inc., Orlando, Florida, July 28, 2009, May 27, 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090804235005weblink">weblink August 4, 2009, mdy-all, In September 2009, The O'Reilly Factor was the #1 cable news show for 106 consecutive weeks.WEB,weblink Q3 Cable Ratings: FNC Shows Fill Top 10; #3 Network on Cable; Beck Grows Timeslot 136%, Chris, Ariens, September 29, 2009, WebMediaBrands Inc., Media Bistro, May 27, 2010, In May 2014, The O'Reilly Factor still held this top position, but average monthly viewers were down to 2.1 million, with a median age of 72 years.WEB, May cable news ratings spare no one,weblink Politico, Capitol News Company, Arlington County, Virginia, April 5, 2015, May 29, 2014, Gold, Hadas, Hadas Gold, In March 2015, The O'Reilly Factor remained at the number one spot on cable news ratings for its 60th consecutive quarter, experiencing 19% growth in viewership among individuals aged 25 to 54 years old.WEB, Q1 2015 Ratings: CNN Makes Big Demo Gains, MSNBC Hits Record Lows, Fox Continues Victories,weblink Mediaite, March 31, 2015, April 30, 2015, Ratings were initially high after sexual harassment allegations against O'Reilly resurfaced in April 2017.WEB,weblink Scoreboard: Monday, April 17, www.adweek.com, April 18, 2017, en-US, April 21, 2017, In the time during Bill O'Reilly's week-long vacation preceding his firing (in which Dana Perino guest hosted), the ratings dropped 26%.NEWS,weblink 'O'Reilly Factor' Ratings Slump Without Host, Schiavo, Amanda, April 18, 2017, TheStreet, April 21, 2017, en-US, WEB,weblink Scoreboard: Wednesday, April 19, www.adweek.com, April 20, 2017, en-US, April 21, 2017, Notable guests Michelle Malkin was a frequent guest host. A conservative commentator, she began boycotting the show in 2007 due to controversy involving remarks made against her by Geraldo Rivera over her position on illegal immigration.WEB, Malkin, Michelle,weblink Michelle Malkin » Stiiiiill going, Michellemalkin.com, November 21, 2008, 2008 presidential contendersFox News producers had tried for years to get Hillary Clinton to come on the show.NEWS, By, Posted,weblink SFGate: Politics Blog : Hillary Goes on O'Reilly Wednesday for first time!, San Francisco Chronicle, Hearst (media), Hearst Corporation, San Francisco, April 29, 2008, November 21, 2008, On April 30, 2008, Clinton agreed to come on the show as part of a pre-taped interview that would be broadcast over two days.NEWS,weblink Hillary Clinton, meet Bill O'Reilly, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, April 29, 2008, November 21, 2008, WEB,weblink Chron.commons | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle, Chron.com, November 21, 2008, WEB, Carl Macgowan,weblink Clinton to appear on O'Reilly show - Newsday.com, Newsday.com, November 21, 2008, NEWS,weblink The Hillary Factor, The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, Nash Holdings LLC, Washington, D.C., November 21, 2008, NEWS,weblink Clinton's unusual political bedfellows - 2008 Presidential Campaign Blog - Political Intelligence - Boston.com, Boston.com, April 30, 2008, November 21, 2008, Foon, Rhee, The host also held an exclusive, four-part interview with then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. Both interviews drew significant media attention as they were front runners for the 2008 presidential election. In the same election cycle, Ron Paul and O'Reilly got into a testy exchange over the issue of Iran. The 2008 Republican candidate for vice president, Sarah Palin, and then Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden were also invited to the show, but chose not to make an appearance.WEB, Patrick,weblink O'Reilly: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not acting." – mediabistro.com: FishbowlDC, Mediabistro.com, November 21, 2008, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081204110903weblink">weblink December 4, 2008, mdy-all, Cultural impact In 2005, The Colbert Report premiered on Comedy Central. The show, hosted by Stephen Colbert, was a satirical spoof of pundit shows like The O'Reilly Factor, spoofing its format and the mannerisms and ideology of O'Reilly, whom Colbert called "Papa Bear." Colbert made no secret of his spoofing O'Reilly: upon hearing the news that O'Reilly approved of The Colbert Report, he declared on-air that "I like you too. In fact, if it wasn't for you, this show wouldn't exist."NEWS, Deborah, Solomon,weblink Funny About the News, The New York Times, New York City, September 25, 2005, May 25, 2010, On January 18, 2007, Colbert appeared on The O'Reilly Factor and O'Reilly appeared on The Colbert Report.NEWS,weblink Stephen Colbert Enters the No Spin Zone, Fox News, Fox Entertainment Group, New York City, January 19, 2007, April 20, 2017, Bill O'Reilly Pt. 1. ComedyCentral.com January 18, 2007. Last Retrieved. After O'Reilly left his show, the character Colbert played on The Colbert Report appeared "via satellite" on his new show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, to bid a satirical farewell to Bill.Archived at Ghostarchive{{cbignore}} and the weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170420103209weblink">Wayback Machine{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|title=A Farewell To Bill O'Reilly From Stephen Colbert And 'Stephen Colbert'|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbYpi_WbfkI|language=en|access-date=2021-04-28}}{{cbignore}}The O'Reilly Factor has also been spoofed on Saturday Night Live, first by Jeff Richards and later on by Darrell Hammond, and then with Alec Baldwin, where Baldwin played both O'Reilly and Donald Trump in the same sketch in an interview segment. On MADtv, the parody was by Michael McDonald. O'Reilly himself has appeared on MADtv.WEB,weblink "MADtv" Episode #9.17 (2004) – Full cast and crew, Internet Movie Database, May 27, 2010, Richards also played O'Reilly in an episode of Mind of Mencia where O'Reilly is a senator in the year 2016.{{citation|work=Mind of Mencia|title=Carlos Smoov |date=April 19, 2006|first=Carlos|last=Mencia|author-link=Carlos Mencia}} The show was also spoofed by the TV series The Boondocks; first in the episode "The Trial of R. Kelly" where O'Reilly is shown talking about R. Kelly's latest legal trouble.{{citation|work=The Boondocks|title=The Trial of R. Kelly|first=Anthony|last=Bell|date=November 6, 2005}} Later in "Return of the King", O'Reilly is shown attacking Martin Luther King Jr. for saying that America should "love thy enemy" and "turn the other cheek", even in respects to the 9/11 attacks.{{citation|work=The Boondocks|title=Return of the King|first=Kalvin|last=Lee|date=January 15, 2006}} The Chaser's War on Everything featured a segment in its second season where it poked fun at The O'Reilly Factor.{{citation|work=Chaser's War on Everything: Season 2, Episode 2|date=April 4, 2007|title=The News According To Fox; Fair and Balanced|author=Andrew Hansen and Chas Licciardello}} Cancellation After five sexual harassment settlements by O'Reilly and Fox News were reported by The New York Times, The O'Reilly Factor lost more than half its advertisers within a week;NEWS,weblink Bill O'Reilly's Show Lost More Than Half Its Advertisers in a Week, Russell, Karl, 2017-04-11, The New York Times, 2019-07-29, en-US, 0362-4331, almost 60 companies withdrew their ads.WEB,weblink Few ads run on 'O'Reilly Factor' as boycott takes effect, Kludt, Tom, 2017-04-06, CNNMoney, 2019-07-29, NEWS,weblink Bill O'Reilly's advertiser exodus is even worse than it looks, Borchers, Callum, April 7, 2017, The Washington Post, NEWS,weblink Fox News' Bill O'Reilly continues to lose advertisers over sexual harassment scandal, Gidda, Mirren, 2017-04-05, Newsweek, Despite the loss of advertisers, The O'Reilly Factor's ratings increased during the controversy.NEWS, Levin, Gary, Bill O'Reilly Ratings Up Amid Sexual-Harassment Controversy,weblink April 6, 2017, USA Today, May 19, 2017, NEWS, Concha, Joe, O'Reilly's Ratings Rise as Advertisers Flee,weblink April 10, 2017, The Hill (newspaper), The Hill, May 19, 2017, On April 11, 2017, O'Reilly announced he would take a two-week vacation and would return to the program on April 24, 2017,Bill O'Reilly taking vacation amid scandal, advertiser exodus CNN Money, April 11, 2017. His plans to return, however, would not come to pass, as he was fired eight days later,WEB,weblink Sources: Fox News Has Decided Bill O'Reilly Has to Go, Sherman, Gabriel, April 19, 2017, New York Media, LLC, New York City, New York (magazine), New York Magazine, April 19, 2017, WEB,weblink Bill O'Reilly Out At Fox News Channel Ending 21-Year Run, de Moraes, Lisa, April 19, 2017, Penske Media Corporation, Deadline Hollywood, April 19, 2017, and his show was cancelled soon afterwards. Online, references to O'Reilly on FoxNews.com were immediately removed, with the main show website redirecting to the FoxNews.com homepage and its content removed.{{citation|first=Samantha|last=Mendoza|work=Bustle.com|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/fox-news-cut-bill-oreillys-name-from-the-factor-logo-photo-52465|title=Fox News Cut Bill O'Reilly's Name From The 'Factor' Logo — PHOTO|date=April 20, 2017}} The program continued for three more episodes without O'Reilly, but the title was shortened to The Factor.NEWS,weblink Fox News scrubs O'Reilly's name from 'The Factor,' says viewers 'will have a lot of feelings', Borchers, Callum, April 19, 2017, The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, Nash Holdings LLC, Washington, D.C., April 20, 2017, NEWS,weblink Bill O'Reilly's Name Has Already Been Scrubbed From 'The Factor', Shapiro, Rebecca, April 19, 2017, The Huffington Post, AOL, United States, April 20, 2017, Dana Perino guest hosted the show on April 19, 2017 and April 20, 2017 and Greg Gutfeld hosted the final episode on April 21, 2017.In the April 19, 2017 episode, Perino read a prepared statement about O'Reilly's dismissal equivalent to what the network had released earlier in the day.{{citation|last=Carter|first=Brandon|title=Fox News removes O'Reilly's name from show graphics|date=April 19, 2017|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/329639-fox-news-quickly-removes-oreillys-name-from-show-graphics/|work=The Hill}}{{citation|first=Tom|last=Namako|work=BuzzFeed News|title=Fox News Ditches Bill O'Reilly After Several Women Said He Sexually Harassed Them|date=April 20, 2017|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/bill-oreilly-is-out-at-fox-news}}{{citation|work=Yahoo News|url=https://www.yahoo.com/tv/fox-news-dana-perino-explains-bill-o-reilly-132037512.html|title=Fox News' Dana Perino Explains Bill O'Reilly's Absence From His Former Show (Video)|first=Brian|last=Flood|date=April 20, 2017}} The reasons for his firing and the sexual harassment allegations were not mentioned in the program itself.{{citation|last=Petit|first=Stephanie|title=WATCH: Bill O'Reilly's Name Scrubbed from His Show – Now Just The Factor – Hours After His Firing|date=April 20, 2017|url=http://people.com/politics/bill-oreilly-replacement-dana-perino-gives-tribute-undisputed-king-cable-news-the-factor/|work=People}} The termination of employment of the former host was a major feature of news coverage on both MSNBC and CNN; outside of the prepared statements, it was not mentioned on-air during the program and other regular topics were covered. The following day, images of the host were removed from the front windows of the News Corp. Building.{{citation|work=Inside Edition|url=http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/22912-fox-news-erases-bill-oreillys-name-from-the-factor|date=April 20, 2017|title=Fox News Erases Bill O'Reilly's Name From 'The Factor'}} O'Reilly was not given an opportunity to sign-off on-air, instead releasing a statement through his agency about the matter, while continuing to deny the sexual harassment allegations against him.{{citation|last=Bauder|first=David|title='The O'Reilly Factor' becomes 'The Factor' as harassment claims lead to Bill O'Reilly exit|date=April 19, 2017|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-bill-oreilly-fired-20170419-story.html|work=Chicago Tribune|agency=Associated Press}} During the final episode Gutfeld spoke about the program's legacy and the loyalty of the show's staff after a segment with Tucker Carlson, followed by a fading of the stage's lighting to a dark state, revealing the set now blank of anything identifying the show.NEWS,weblink Fox's Greg Gutfeld Thanks 'Our Loyal Viewers' on the Final Factor, Feldman, Josh, April 21, 2017, Mediaite, April 22, 2017, The three-day interregnum allowed the network to sort out a new prime-time lineup to start on April 24, 2017, which saw Tucker Carlson Tonight move into the former The O'Reilly Factor time-slot, followed by the move of the late afternoon program The Five to 9:00 p.m. ET.NEWS,weblink Here's The New Fox News Channel Primetime Lineup, Rousselle, Christine, Townhall, April 21, 2017, en, References {{Reflist|30em}} External links {{IMDb title|0284767|The O'Reilly Factor}} {{FoxNewsChannelPrograms}}{{Bill O'Reilly}}