Spencer O’Reilly is one of the many celebrity kids who are facing the heat caused by their parents’ separation. Even as a kid, his life has been a subject of the public interest thanks to the unending stories being dug up by the media on his father’s extramarital escapades as well as his sexual abuse on his wife. Of course, we are talking about Bill O’Reilly, the much-celebrated TV host, and author who is best known for anchoring television programs like Inside Edition and The O’Reilly Factor.
The search for further details about Spencer’s profile increased after his parents decided to end their marriage of over a decade long. As a result of this, we have gathered interesting facts about Spencer O’Reilly, Bill O’Reilly’s son. Find out everything you need to know about the youngster below.
Who is Spencer O’Reilly?
Spencer O’Reilly is an American kid, born in 2003 to his parents William James O’Reilly Jr and Maureen E. McPhilmy. His father is a popular journalist in America while his mother works as a Public Relations executive. Spencer belongs to Irish descent with a touch of Colonial American ancestry. While his exact month of birth is not known, we are aware of his older sibling Madeline who was born in 1998 making her five years his senior. Further information about Spencer’s childhood and educational background is currently not known.
1. His Parents Divorced When He was 7 Years
Spencer is not one of those kids who enjoyed good times with their parents. He was just a kid when he found himself embroiled in the media saga involving his father and mother. Despite his parent’s effort to keep him and his sister away from the public scene, their continuous marital war forced them out as the media investigated his family. Apparently, the lawsuits against his father’s alleged sexual harassment began in 2004, when he sued Andrea Mackris his former The O’Reilly Factor producer but the whole story got a new twist when Mackris claimed she was sexually harassed by him.
In her lawsuit, she requested for $60 million in damages. Mackris later amended her lawsuit against Spencer’s father, seeking further damages from O’Reilly, Fox News, and the New York Post, for retaliating illegally. It was in the midst of all the lawsuits filed against Spencer’s father that his mother Maureen filed for divorce in April 2010, citing infidelity, emotional and domestic abuse. From there, the news of their divorce dominated the tabloids for a long time. However, the divorce process was finalized in September 2011.
2. His Sister Madeline Testified Against Their Father, Bill
The troublesome marriage between Spencer’s father and mother was quite exhausting on him and his older sibling Madeline, who was even brought forward to testify against their father. Before his parent’s divorce process was concluded, Madeline spoke about all she saw happening between their parents at home. In one of her testimonies, she confirmed her mother’s statement about how Bill choked and dragged her down the stairs. Although Bill denied all the allegations, claiming that they were all lies, Madeline’s testimony formed a strong base upon which their parents’ marriage was finally dissolved.
3. Spencer O’Reilly and the Custody Battle
The fight for Spencer and his sister’s custody lingered longer than their fight for their legal separation. Shortly after the divorce was finalized by the court, his parents fought for 3 years for their custody. Court’s initial decision was for the two parents to take care of the children but this was later reversed following Maureen’s lawsuit claiming that Bill is not fit to take care of his children as he is an absent parent. The court came to a conclusion on the matter in February 2016, giving Maureen the full custody of the kids. O’Reilly was also given the right to visit his children.
4. His Father is a Well-known Media Icon in America
Spencer’s father is one of the most successful journalists in America. He was born on September 10, 1949, in Manhattan, New York. His parents, (Spencer’s grandparents) are Winifred Angela Drake and William James O’Reilly Sr. from Teaneck, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, respectively. He attended Chaminade High School before graduating with a degree in history from the University of London. He then proceeded to Boston University where he bagged a Masters degree in broadcast journalism.
Bill’s garnered fame in the late 1970s through the 1980s following his stint with ABC News and CBS Network. He was also popular as the Fox News Channel’s host for the program entitled The O’Reilly Factor which continued to run until its cancellation in 2017 following his Sexual Harassment Cases.
As an author, Spencer O’Reilly’s father has written numerous books including Those Who Trespass, The O’Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life, Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama, and Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History, to name a few. Following his firing by Fox News channel, Bill kicked off his own news podcast which he named “No Spin News”.
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5. What is Spencer’s Net Worth?
As at the time of writing this piece, Spencer is yet to identify with any professional career, hence his personal financial earnings have not been revealed. However, as the son of a successful journalist, he is sure to have a share in his father’s wealth which is reportedly worth about $85 million. Much of his father’s wealth comes from his TV activities as well as his publications.
6. Where is Spencer O’Reilly Now?
Spencer currently lives with his mother and her boyfriend, Jeffrey Gross. She started dating Gross, a Nassau County Police detective, shortly after her divorce from Bill. Now Spencer’s stepfather, Gross is a widower, he lost his wife Kathleen McBride to cervical cancer in 2006. Through his marriage with Katleen, he had two kids who are now Spencer’s stepsiblings. Spencer’s father, on the other hand, is said to be in a relationship with a woman named Lynne Kulakowski.