Gerald Michael Rivera, known by his television name of Geraldo Rivera or simply Geraldo, is an American Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television journalist, attorney, and former talk show host. Rivera is a Fox News Senior Correspondent and is a rotating co-host on the FOX News Channel's hit program The Five and provides regular reports and commentary on FNC's Fox and Friends, Hannity, and Tucker Carlson. He joined the network in 2001 as a war correspondent following the 9/11 attacks.
Chosen by People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world.
His ex-wife, Edie Vonnegut , is Kurt Vonnegut Jr. s daughter. His autobiography, written in 1991, is "Exposing Myself".
In his autobiography, he revealed his affairs with Bette Midler , Liza Minnelli , Judy Collins , Chris Evert , Margaret Trudeau , Marion Javits , and at least 1000 other women. He first made a name for himself as a lawyer defending Harlemss largely Hispanic Young Lords gang. His brother is newscaster Craig Rivera , who previously gained experience as Geraldos producer at ABC News.
He hosted the television segment that gave the American public the first chance of seeing the Zapruder film of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
His most famous program was The Mystery of Al Capones Vaults that aired in April 1986. When Chicagos Lexington Hotel was being demolished, a sealed vault was discovered. Rivera hosted the live program that was going to climax with the opening of the vault, supposedly revealing Al Capone s treasure or a more gruesome find. The biggest find was an empty whiskey bottle. The hype generated a record rating of 57 with an estimated audience of 30,000,000. The term "Al Capones Vault" has come to mean any overhyped event that leads to nothing.
Allegedly married first wife Linda Coblentz in part to avoid the Vietnam War draft.
Children: Isabella Holmes (b. 7 November 1992) and Simone Cruickshank (b. September 1994) by C. C. Dyer; Gabriel Miguel (b. 2 July 1979) by Sherryl Raymond; Cruz by a previous relationship; Solita Liliana (b. August 2005) by Erica Levy.
Exposed deplorable conditions in "Willowbrook State School", an institution for people with developmental disabilities, in early 1972. Publicity from the class-action lawsuit against the state of New York that soon followed was a major contributing factor in the passing of a federal law called "Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act of 1980."
His mother, Lilian Friedman, was a Jewish American of Russian Jewish ancestry; she was born in New Jersey, to an Orthodox Jewish family from Dolhinov, Belarus, which had recently lived in various provinces in Canada. His father, Cruz "Allen" Rivera, was a Puerto Rican of Spanish ancestry, who was raised Roman Catholic. Lilian and Cruz moved to Florida, where Cruz had a fatal heart attack on Thanksgiving Day of 1987 and, as Geraldo mentioned in light of the British Petrolum disaster, where his ashes were scattered. The widowed Lillian Rivera lived in Florida, and was close to her children, who were raised Jewish. She appeared with Craig on one episode of Geraldo at Large from Florida, via satellite. Meanwhile, Geraldo named his youngest son, Cruz, in honor of his father, and his youngest child, Solita Liliana, in honor of his Judaism and his mother.
Listed on his birth certificate as Gerald Michael Riviera, he was born to Cruz "Allen" and Lillian Friedman Rivera. In his autobiography "Exposing Myself," Rivera said that he believed his mother was attempting to deflect future discrimination from her children by misspelling their surname on their birth certificates, as they were the products of a mixed marriage. The marriage was "mixed" because Cruz was a Puerto Rican and Roman Catholic who (as Geraldo later explained) never "got around to" converting to Judaism because of his work as a church layman; and Lillian (born Lillie Friedman, a daughter of Isaac Michael and Tillie Krivel Friedman) was both ethnically and religiously Jewish.
NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff once said of him: "There are two words that serve as a signal that youre operating in an area of questionable taste. Those words are Geraldo Rivera."
His fourth wife, C.C. Dyer, did not take his last name when they married.
The fictional news anchorman character Hector Ramirez which appeared in several popular cartoon series during the 1980s ( "G.I. Joe" , "Transformers" , "Jem" and "InHumanoids" , all produced by Marvel-Sunbow Production) was a parody of Rivera.
Geraldo Rivera and Erica Levy welcomed their daughter, Solita Liliana, on August 2, 2005. He was 62, and she was 30 at the time of Sols birth. This was his fifth child and third daughter, while it was her first and only child. He has also since said that after having five children, hes "done".
Wife Erica Levy s mother is Nancy and father is Howard Levy, who was a prostate cancer survivor; but died recently.
Siblings are Craig Rivera , Sharon Rivera, and Irene Rivera Hurst. Cousin is Wilfredo Rivera, adopted by Geraldos parents.
He underwent knee replacement surgery on his left knee on September 28, 2009. He also underwent back surgery after a trip to Afghanistan, and was off work for two weeks.
Ex-brother-in-law of Nanny Vonnegut.
His son Gabe Rivera married Dr. Deborah Rish in May 2009. Thus, Gabe is the son-in-law of one of the doctors who investigated Michael Jackson in Jacksons 1993 criminal case.
Good friend of John Lennon and Jose Baez.
Senior columnist for FoxNewsLatino.com.
He is selling shares in his yacht "Voyager" and his private island, El Cayo, in Puerto Rico.
Married at Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
Brother-in-law of Cordelia Bowe.
Graduate of the University of Arizona and Brooklyn Law School.
Joined Fox News Channel in November 2001 as a war correspondent.
Radio talk show host, WABC in New York City.
He stated that he will not play himself in a Lifetime Television movie about the Casey Anthony case.
Good friend of Alana Stewart , since her first marriage to George Hamilton , and they were neighbors in Malibu, California.
On his KABC radio show on October 1, 2012, he identified his family as the following in terms of political affiliation: Isabella as a Republican, Simone, Gabe, and Erica Levy as Democrats; and Cruz as not even registered to vote.
Pets: Dogs Elvis and Hudson (Golden Retrievers), a cat (whos owned by daughter Simone), and Maltipoos Ricky and Lucy (who he states that he "never wanted", but who Erica and Sol wanted; and with whom he lives in Apartment 17 in his Manhattan Apartment Complex as of October 11, 2012).
His niece lost her Lindenhurst, NJ home in Hurricane Sandy, Oct 2012. His nephew also lost his home in Bay Shore.
His first grandchild is Jace Rivera, and his second grandchild is Desmond Samuel Rivera (b. September 2014). The respective fathers are Cruz and Gabriel Rivera.
Release of his book, "His Panic: Why America Fear Hispanics in the U.S.".
Release of his autobiography, "Exposing Myself" by Geraldo with Daniel Paisiner.
(September 2009) Release of his book, "The Great Progression: How Hispanics Will Lead America to a New Era of Prosperity".
Release of his book, "A Special Kind of Courage: Profiles of Young Americans".
(January 2012) New York, USA: He joined 77 WABC (in New York) and 77 KABC (WABCs sister station in Los Angeles) as a radio talk show host. He currently lives in Manhattan with his wife and their daughter Sol.
Hosted ABCs "Good Night America" {(1975-03-06)} the very night Abraham Zapruder s film footage of President John F. Kennedy s assassination was first televised for the public in 1975.
As of January 1, 2014, he will broadcast his radio show exclusively on WABC and WABCRadio.com. On WABCRadio.com, he will have live-stream video of himself, his sidekick Noam Laden, and others play during the show.
On his January 6, 2014 show, he mentioned that he went to P.S. 119 in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. He also mentioned that his son Gabriel lived in the neighborhood for a time as well.
Since his maternal granddads side is a Friedman from Dolhinov, Belarus, he may be related to economist Milton Friedman.
Longtime friend of nearly 35 years is the late Joan Rivers. Rivera attended her funeral, when the comedienne passed away on September 7, 2014.
On "Hannity" on February 4, 2015, he mentioned that his long-since-ex-wife C.C. Dyer miscarried six IVF-conceived children during their attempts to have children. Their seventh-IVF-conceived child was born full term and named Isabella.
He and his family differ on what his greatest accomplishment is. He even, according to him, had to remind them that he won a Peabody and an Emmy Award because they were very enamored that he guest starred on [error].
Inducted into the International Mustache Hall of Fame in 2015 (inaugural class) in the category Film & Television.
His son, Cruz Rivera, became the father of a girl, who was born on June 30, 2015. She is Geraldos first granddaughter.
His first granddaughter, Ella Rose Rivera, was born on June 30, 2015. Ella Rose is the sister of his grandson Jace.
We have no right to complain about any condition affecting the quality,of our lives, unless we are doing something about it.
The courage in journalism is sticking up for the unpopular, not the popular. .
