Gerald Michael Rivera^[1] (born July 4, 1943), known by his TV name Geraldo Rivera or simply Geraldo, is an American television journalist, attorney, and former talk show host. He is known to have an affinity for dramatic, high-profile stories, and issues that are divisive in nature. Rivera hosts the newsmagazine program Geraldo at Large, and appears regularly on Fox News Channel.

Early life

Rivera was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the son of Lillian (née Friedman), a waitress, and Cruz Rivera, a restaurant worker and cab driver.^[2][3] Rivera's father was Puerto Rican and his mother was Jewish, and he was raised "mostly Jewish" and had a Bar Mitzvah.^[4][5] He grew up in Brooklyn and West Babylon, New York. He is an alumnus of University of Arizona, where he played varsity lacrosse as goalie. From September 1961 to May 1963 he attended the State University of New York Maritime College, where he was a member of the rowing team.^[6][7] He received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1969, did postgraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania that same year^[8], and briefly attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism during the summer of 1970. After a brief career in Law Enforcement where he served the NYPD as an investigator, he returned to law and became a lawyer for a New York Puerto Rican activist group, the Young Lords and attracted the attention of a news producer when he was interviewed about the group's occupation of a Harlem church in 1970. He is a member of Tau Delta Phi fraternity.

Career and controversy

Early stages

Rivera was hired by WABC-TV in New York City as a reporter for Eyewitness News. In 1972, he garnered national attention and won an Emmy Award for his report on the neglect and abuse of mentally retarded patients at Staten Island's Willowbrook State School and began to appear on ABC national programs such as 20/20 and Nightline. After John Lennon watched Rivera's report on the patients at Willowbrook, he and Rivera formed a benefit concert called "One to One" (released in 1986 as Live in New York City.) Rivera would be one of the correspondents reporting Lennon's murder on Nightline on December 8, 1980. Rivera also appeared in The US vs. John Lennon, a movie about Lennon and Yoko Ono's lives in New York City. It was released in 2007.

Around this time, Rivera also began hosting ABC's Goodnight America, The show featured the famous refrain from Arlo Guthrie's hit, "City Of New Orleans," (written by Steve Goodman) as the theme ("Goodnight America, I love you"). The song served as the later inspiration for the network's hugely successful morning show, Good Morning America.

In October 1985, ABC's Roone Arledge refused to air a report done by Sylvia Chase, for 20/20 on the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and John and Robert Kennedy. Rivera publicly criticized Arledge's journalistic integrity, claiming that Arledge's friendship with the Kennedy family (for example, Pierre Salinger, a former Kennedy aide, worked for ABC News at the time) had caused him to spike the story; as a result, Rivera was fired. Sylvia Chase quit 20/20, although she later returned to ABC News many years later. It has never aired. In April 1986, Rivera hosted the syndicated special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault.

Talk show and Satanism special

In 1987, Rivera began producing and hosting the daytime talk show Geraldo, which ran for 11 years. The show featured controversial guests and theatricality, which led to Newsweek's characterization of his show as "Trash TV". One of the early shows was titled "Men in Lace Panties and the Women Who Love Them". His nose was broken in a well-publicized brawl during a 1988 show, involving white power skinheads, anti-racist skinheads, black activists, and Jewish activists.

In 1987, he hosted the first of a series of prime time special reports dealing with an alleged epidemic of Satanic ritual abuse. He stated:

Estimates are that there are over 1 million Satanists in this country ... The majority of them are linked in a highly organized, very secretive network. From small towns to large cities, they have attracted police and FBI attention to their Satanic sexual child abuse, child pornography and grisly Satanic murders. The odds are that this is happening in your town.^[9]

Later career

In 1994, he began hosting nightly discussion of the news on CNBC called Rivera Live while continuing to host Geraldo. The show was portrayed in the final episode of Seinfeld, with Rivera as himself reporting on the lengthy trial of the show's four main characters.

Later, he would take his talk show in a different direction, moving it from "Trash TV" to a more subdued, serious show, and changed its name from Geraldo to The Geraldo Rivera Show. By this time, the show had run its course, and after being on the air for almost two years with its new title was cancelled in 1998.

In 1997, Rivera contracted with NBC to work as a reporter for six years for $30 million. During 1998 and 1999, he extensively covered the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he accepted a pay cut and went to work for the Fox News Channel as a war correspondent in November 2001. Rivera's brother Craig accompanied him as a cameraman on assignments in Afghanistan.

War coverage controversies

In 2001, during the U.S. War in Afghanistan, Rivera was derided for a report in which he claimed to be at the scene of a friendly fire incident; it was later revealed he was actually 300 miles away. Rivera blamed a minor misunderstanding for the discrepancy.

Another controversy arose in early 2003, while Rivera was embedded with U.S. military personnel in Iraq. During a Fox News broadcast, Rivera began to disclose an upcoming operation, even going so far as to draw a map in the sand for his audience. The military immediately issued a firm denouncement of his actions, saying it put the operation at risk, and nearly expelled Rivera from Iraq. Two days later, he announced that he would be reporting on the Iraq conflict from Kuwait.^[10]

The "map in the sand" incident inspired a 14th season episode of NBC's legal drama Law & Order, entitled "Embedded".^[10] It was also spoofed on The Daily Show, in which correspondent Stephen Colbert drew a map in the sand of where Rivera's head had gone, finally concluding that his objective was "sticking his head up his own ass".

A third controversy arose when he announced he was carrying a weapon while reporting in Afganistan. He said, "If they're going to get us, it's going to be in a gun fight. It's not going to be a murder. It's not going to be a crime. It's going to be a gun fight." Many were offended by the very fact that as a reporter he was carrying a weapon. The other aspect of the controversy, however, was due to the fact that he had often promoted civilian gun control prior to his time reporting in Afganistan, such as when (after the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado) Rivera asked, "How much longer are we gonna take it? How much longer are we gonna be wrapping in the flag of patriotism to justify 250 million guns out there? How much longer?" As an NRA magazine article pointed out, "Rivera, who has made plenty of noise in the past by promoting various anti-gun proposals, revealed recently that while covering the war in Afghanistan, where he doesn't feel quite so safe, he's conveniently jumped to the other side of the fence."^[11]

Michael Jackson trial

During the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson, Rivera held an interview with the pop star from the famed Neverland Ranch. Following this, he went on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, telling the audience he was convinced that Jackson was innocent and would be found not guilty. He even vowed to promptly shave his distinctive trademark moustache in the event of a guilty verdict.

After Jackson was acquitted, Rivera rejoiced on Access Hollywood, boasting that his acquittal prediction had come true and his moustache had been accordingly spared.

Recent activity

Rivera's last regular series on Fox News Channel was At Large with Geraldo Rivera, shown on Saturday and Sunday nights. He ended the program on October 9, 2005, in order to begin a new weekday syndicated show, Geraldo at Large. The new series features many Fox News Channel correspondents, including Laurie Dhue and Phil Keating, and Rivera frequently appears on Fox News to promote his latest stories. On January 4, 2007, Fox cancelled At Large because of low ratings.

On an August 4, 2006 appearance on The O'Reilly Factor, Rivera criticized Comedy Central program hosts Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show) and Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report), saying that despite their current success they ultimately "count for nothing." In addition, Rivera said that the two shows "basically play clips of old ladies slipping on ice and people laughing".

Rivera was promptly satirized on several episodes of the two programs thereafter. Colbert, in-character as a parody of O'Reilly, sided with Rivera, and demanded Stewart "apologize to Geraldo" multiple times. He asked Stewart, "What are you implying Jon? That Geraldo and O'Reilly are narcissists enthralled with their own overblown egos? Projecting their own petty insecurities onto the world around them? Inventing false enemies for the sole purpose of boosting their own sense of self-importance? Itty-bitty Nixons minus the relevance or a hint of vision? How dare you!" Eventually, Stewart was forgiven when Colbert made him wear a duplicate of Rivera's trademark moustache.

New Orleans / New York Times controversy

Rivera engaged in a nasty feud with the New York Times over their allegations that he pushed aside a member of a rescue team in order to be filmed "assisting" a woman in a wheelchair down some steps. The ensuing controversy caused Rivera to appear on television and demand a retraction from the Times. He further threatened to sue the paper if one was not provided.^[12]

Other work

In an October 2006 episode of The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly accused Rivera of being a "secular progressive". Rivera laughed, and replied, "What? Secular progressive? I'm a radical!"

On January 4, 2007, it was announced that Rivera would return to Fox News Channel and At Large with Geraldo Rivera. As such, his syndicated program would be cancelled.^[13] Although the program received some media attention in cities like New York for defeating The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric in the 25-54 demographic, overall, ratings for the Rivera program were suffering.

On April 5, 2007, Rivera got in a on-air shouting match with O'Reilly regarding a drunk driving death perpetrated by an illegal alien.^[14]

The Virginia Tech coverage

Following the Virginia Tech shootings, the news media released that the shooter was an Asian male student. On the night following the massacre, during his live show “Geraldo at Large”, a student tipped Geraldo Rivera that on Facebook, a popular website among college students, an Asian student appeared to match the description of the shooter. He was in his mid 20s and had several pictures of himself armed with his many guns. Skeptical of the unconfirmed report, Geraldo made sure to show neither the student's name nor face as the video of his show clearly demonstrates. But other media did report that the student involved was Wayne Chiang, who, as a result of the exposure apparently became associated temporarily with the crimes. Furthermore, Mr. Chiang’s photos have appeared on CTV’s news program 4/19/07 intermixed with photographs of the actual killer Cho Seung Hui.^[15]

Chris Benoit coverage

Geraldo Rivera appeared on the O'Reilly Factor on June 28th, 2007 to discuss the murder of Chris Benoit's family. Geraldo Rivera reported many errors when covering the story including the accusation of linking the Sherri Martel death with the death of Benoit's wife. Geraldo stated that Benoit's wife died on June 15th, when in reality, she died a week later on June 22nd or 23rd. Geraldo also stated a groundless claim that the Benoit case may be found to be a triple or even quadruple murder when no evidence suggests this.^[16] WNCE TV-8 (Glens Falls, NY) Sports Director Red Cordell took Rivera to task on the horrible errors on his Friday edition of TRZ.^[17]

Geraldo also falsely insinuated that Sherri Martel and the Benoits were close friends. However, Martel was an acquaintance of Nancy Benoit's ex-husband, Kevin Sullivan, but she had no relationship with or ties to any of the Benoits.

Michelle Malkin "spit" controversy

On September 1st 2007, Rivera criticized Fox News Channel contributor and substitute host Michelle Malkin when he was quoted in a Boston Globe interview as saying, ^[18]

"Michelle Malkin is the most vile, hateful commentator I've ever met in my life," he says. "She actually believes that neighbors should start snitching out neighbors, and we should be deporting people.

“It’s good she’s in D.C. and I’m in NY. I’d spit on her if I saw her.” ^[19]

Which then Geraldo apologized publicly on The O'Reilly Factor on September 14, 2007 stating that is was "ungentlemanly" of him to do that, and that he would never spit on her. He promised that such talk like that will never come again from him. He was reportedly threatened with a dismissal by Fox management.

Michelle Malkin considered his apology a farce and has decided to stop appearing on The O'Reilly Factor as she felt the show mishandled the situation.^[20]

In popular culture

Geraldo had a small, uncredited part in the 1990 film Bonfire of the Vanities as a television reporter named "Robert Corso."

Geraldo is mentioned in the episode of Two and a Half Men entitled Corey's Been Dead For An Hour. The presenter takes home both Charlie and Alan's dates after the brothers spend half an hour arguing in the bathroom. The waiter quips that the two girls will now find out how "At Large" Geraldo really is.

Geraldo has a short cameo on the series finale of Seinfeld with his former news colleague, Jane Wells. He appeared as himself on his actual show at the time, Rivera Live, holding coverage of the jury trial Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer had. He was also an inspiration for the opportunistic, narcissistic Wayne Gale (portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.) in Oliver Stone's 1994 film Natural Born Killers; in fact, much of the character's interaction with the murders Mickey and Mallory Knox was inspired heavily from Rivera's interview with Charles Manson. In Carl Hiaasen's 1989 book, "Skin Tight," there is a narcissistic T.V. reporter by the name of "Reynaldo Flemm," who is almost certainly modeled after Geraldo Rivera. The character meets a gruesome end while being liposuctioned by a quack plastic surgeon.

The town of West Babylon has awarded Geraldo with the Key to the City and officially named September 20th as "Geraldo Rivera Day".

Kurt Vonnegut mentioned Geraldo several times in various novels, (Palm Sunday, Fates Worse than Death), never once in favorable light. Geraldo was married to Kurt's daughter Edith Vonnegut. They got a divorce in 1984.

References

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

External links

• Official website
• "Geraldo Rivera Official Statement Regarding Embedment Controversy", 4 April 2003 - Rivera tells the story of his Iraq "Map in the Sand" (archive)
• "Pentagon Says Geraldo Rivera Will Be Removed From Iraq" - The New York Times, April 1, 2003
• Geraldo Rivera's Influence on the Satanic Ritual Abuse and Recovered Memory Hoaxes - from religioustolerance.org
• Urban Legend about Geraldo Rivera's name being changed from Jerry Rivers - from snopes.com
• Geraldo Rivera at the Internet Movie Database