Bill O'Reilly Is Stepping Back From News Over A 'Malady'

For years, Bill O'Reilly was arguably on the Mount Rushmore of cable TV news, and was more or less the face of Fox News for the bulk of the 2000s and 2010s thanks to The O'Reilly Factor. He's since shifted over to the streaming side of things after a lucrative exit from Fox News and a settlement over sexual harrassment allegations in 2017. Now, however, he's once again stepping away from the cameras, only this time for health reasons.

O'Reilly, who delivered his No Spin News segments earlier in the week, took to his personal website to share a message with his fans and followers that updated everyone on his current hiatus. Here's how he put it:

It's unclear what kind of malady O'Reilly is dealing with, but one can assume it's more than just a light cold or a broken finger or anything that could likely be dealt with without needing to step away from the spotlight entirely.

As well, bringing up a medical team and saying "fight the good fight" could also be seen as hints of a more serious nature, but hopefully that's just an issue of word choice and nothing else.

Now at age 76, O'Reilly kicked his TV news career off for various local affiliates in the 1970s before making the jump to CBS News in 1982. He later transitioned to ABC News for a few Emmy-winning years before bouncing back to CBS for Inside Edition. It was in 1996 that he landed at Fox News for his 20-year reign. Following his ouster from that network, he has since returned as a guest correspondent.

The void left by O'Reilly's exit was soon filled by Tucker Carlson, whose career also blossomed at the conservative-leaning organization. (Carlson's own exit was later followed by Jesse Watters' primetime dominance. )

One of the more recent and more newsworthy instances of O'Reilly on the small screen was his return to The Daily Show in July 2024, following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Having spent years as a rival of sorts to comedian Jon Stewart, O'Reilly appeared on the Comedy Central series 15 times or so, and the pair's amicable relationship remains intact. Whether or not Stewart will voice his own well-wishes for O'Reilly's health is another matter.

Over on Instagram, Bill O'Reilly's account is still posting, and just this morning directed viewers to the TV personality's book suggestions. It's possible this is something that was put together ahead of time, but still a positive sign that he'll keep communication open with his followers during his illness and recovery period.

In the meantime, fans can watch many of his recent segments on his YouTube page.