How Bill O'Reilly became the most popular host on cable news — and why Fox killed his show

reports said that he would not be returning.

On Wednesday, Fox issued a statement confirming that O'Reilly "will not be returning to the Fox News Channel."

How did O'Reilly rise to such prominence and influence? Here's a look at the conservative host and commentator's career — and what killed his show:

The counterculture of the 1960s sparked Bill O'Reilly's journalism career.

Bill O'Reilly was born in New York City and raised in Long Island. He spent his early education in Catholic schools and attended

O'Reilly paid his dues before anchoring his own news program in 1980.

O'Reilly cemented his audience appeal as the host of "Inside Edition" in the early '90s.

In 1989, he left ABC News to become the host of the syndicated news entertainment show "Inside Edition." During five of his six years as its host, it was the highest-watched infotainment show on TV. After leaving the show in 1995, O'Reilly enrolled at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government for his second master's degree, this one in public administration.

O'Reilly started his Fox News career in 1996.

After graduating from Harvard, O'Reilly joined a young Fox News Channel as the host of his own talk show, "The O'Reilly Report." His boisterous delivery on the day's biggest topics, relevant guests, and political commentators drove the show to become not only FNC's most popular program, but also the highest-rated program of all the cable news networks.

O'Reilly is a best-selling author, most notably landing TV adaptations of his "Killing" series of historical books.

O'Reilly has written more than 20 political, fiction, and nonfiction books over his career. National Geographic Channel has adapted a few titles from his historical "Killing" series, making "Killing Jesus," "Killing Kennedy," and "Killing Reagan."

"The O'Reilly Factor" continues to hold its place as cable's top news program.

"The O'Reilly Report" was renamed "The O'Reilly Factor" in 1998 after a phrase one of O'Reilly's guests, branding expert John Tutillo, used in reference to the host's angle on stories. O'Reilly's use of graphics and pithy segments like "Talking Points Memo" caught on.

The show continued to attract the largest audience in cable news for more than a decade, frequently attracting more than 3 million viewers.

In the days after the blistering New York Times report about the sexual-harassment allegations, his audience ballooned to about 3.7 million viewers.

On the other hand, O'Reilly's overtly conservative takes on the news and political issues of the day have earned him much criticism from media watchdogs and liberal groups who question the validity of some of his segments.

But despite the viewership, Fox has killed O'Reilly's show over the allegations.

Both New York magazine and The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Fox executives were preparing to cut ties with O'Reilly amid the accusations and building pressure on Fox News.

Fox then confirmed it was ending its relationship with the host. It's still unclear whether the host will get the opportunity to say goodbye to his show's audience once back from vacation or what will be made of his $20 million-per-year contract.