The O'Reilly Factor



The O'Reilly Factor was a political news and talk show. It's was around for the first 20 years of the channels existence, from 1996 to 2016, and host Bill O'Reilly has been referred to as the face of Fox News. It consistently topped the ratings as the most watched cable news show, and its popularity means it's one of the most parodied as well. Its original title was The O'Reilly Report, which should sound familiar.

O'Reilly has also written several books, some of them tie-ins to the show, some of them not. There used to be a radio show called The Radio Factor, but that died in early 2009.

As with all Political Programmes please observe the Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement when adding examples to this page.


 * Adam Westing: O'Reilly and his show appear in Iron Man 2, parodying two of his show's segments at once.
 * He also appears in the third Transformers movie, interviewing former Sector Seven agent Simmons. The interview quickly devolves into an argument between the two over whether or not the US should continue supporting the Autobots.
 * On an episode of Rizzoli and Isles, O'Reilly yet again appears as himself. Many of his usual segments are mentioned, as Rizzoli's mother is a big fan of the show. Also, for some reason, he's covering the trial of a Boston gangster, which is a fairly large departure from his usual political analysis (although he does cover non-political subjects on his show from time to time).
 * Balance Between Good and Evil / Balance of Power: Of the two people who alternate as serving as O'Reilly's replacement host when he's away, Laura Ingraham is to O'Reilly's right, and Juan Williams is to O'Reilly's left.
 * Catch Phrase:
 * "We are definitely looking out for you."
 * "Caution! You are about to enter the No-Spin Zone."
 * "Now, come on...."
 * "....the folks [at/of]...."
 * "....left-wing loons...."
 * "Plenty more ahead as the factor moves along...."
 * "If you wish to opine...."
 * "Name and town, name and town, name and town, and no bloviating -- that's my job."
 * Deadpan Snarker: O'Reilly's sense of humor is generally this, making a few absurd remarks toward "crazies" like Beck and Ingraham or those on the left like Mark Lamont Hill or Colmes who he interviews regarding their various theories on this and that, seemingly giving a more reasonable view on situations than most others. Also, when he and Stephen Colbert squared off on the Factor, it was O'Reilly's Deadpan versus Colbert's over-the-top Large Ham, and it was a battle worthy of song...
 * But don't take our word for it.
 * Face Heel Turn / Heel Face Turn: Arguably, and definitely not a black-and-white case ever since Obama became president. Has occasionally broken ranks with more hardline right-wingers, such as his foils Glenn Beck and Laura Ingraham, on a semi-regular basis now, and has caught some flak for it from a right-wing radio host or two.
 * Hot-Blooded: Definitely fits this trope. Seems to have cooled down, though, for the most part recently.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: When he was in college, he used to play football, and it's clear from older videos of him like all the way back when he was on Inside Edition that he used to look quite different before he became old. He lampshades this whenever he can.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Many who consider Bill O'Reilly to be 'strongly hard-right' (he's actually a registered Independent, and arguably represents the American political mainstream as much as such a thing exists) were surprised when it was O'Reilly of all people who criticized "One Million Moms" for discriminating against Ellen DeGeneres because she is openly gay; when they insisted Ellen should not be a spokesperson for JCPenny based on her sexual orientation, O'Reilly argued that regardless of his or anyone else's opinion of gay rights, what they're doing is taking rights from a person and is no different from McCarthyism, and, naturally, most liberals began to see him in this light.
 * Only Sane Man: Like all political pundits he likes to pitch himself as the Only Sane Man in the American media (about which Your Mileage May Vary).
 * Hell, he and Jon Stewart are practically Vitriolic Best Buds when O'Reilly is on The Daily Show.
 * And Jon Stewart himself has gone on record as saying that O'Reilly's sanity level as compared to the rest of the people on Fox News is like being "the skinniest kid at Fat Camp." O'Reilly has never let Stewart live this comment down.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Hot-Blooded Red Oni to Sean Hannity's Blue Oni. Of the people who have been his regulars, Glenn Beck is another Red Oni, while Laura Ingraham is a Blue Oni. Over the years, has become a Blue Oni to Beck.
 * The Rival: It's not quite as heated as it used to be, but Keith Olbermann, Olbermann seemed to have eased off of O'Reilly ever since Beck showed up although he still attacks him whenever he can, but since Beck went off TV, Olbermann splits his time now between O'Reilly and Beck. O'Reilly, for his part, seems to have partially returned the favor although it's worth noting O'Reilly has always made sure not to as much as mention him by name.
 * There was also an informal agreement between the heads of Fox News and MSNBC.
 * Nowadays, O'Reilly's primary rival is Jon Stewart, with whom he has enjoyed lively, tough, and powerful debates with every time they've appeared on each others' show.
 * He also has a friendly rivalry with Stephen Colbert, made especially weird since Colbert is basically a parody of him.
 * His most vitriolic rivalry was with Al Franken, who despised him personally and once got into a shouting match with him. Bill returned the favor by dismissing him as "Stuart Smalley," one of Franken's characters on Saturday Night Live.
 * Running Gag: Whenever the state of Minnesota's brought up in regards to elections(for instance, during the 2012 election cycle and the Republican Primaries), Bill's always quick to snark about how Minnesota's "the state that elected Al Franken to the Senate and Jesse Ventura to the Governor's Mansion."
 * Sidekick: Dennis Miller.
 * Turns Red: Around the half-way point of a debate with someone he strongly disagrees with, Unstoppable Rage will often come into play. He's been getting better at this lately, though he will definitely get pissed off if a guest says something unbelievably stupid, whether they're Right (Stossel, Bachmann and Ingraham have earned his ire from time to time) or Left (Geraldo Rivera (who appears to be more Democratic) when they argue over things like Casey Anthony or immigration, Richard Dawkins' when he was on the show or an Immigration lawyer who compared Arizona Bill 1070 to Jim Crow laws).
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Glenn Beck. They respect each other and have toured together numerous times, but they can make a lot of jokes at each other's expense. He has this also emanating from his interviews with Jon Stewart. He has a small degree of this with a few other people who are regulars on his show occasionally.
 * Worthy Opponent: What Jon Stewart thinks of O'Reilly; see also any time that one appears on the other's show.