Geraldo Rivera's Shady Side Revealed

Geraldo Rivera is no stranger to the small screen... or controversy. The longtime Fox News reporter is currently a co-host on "The Five," but he began his career in the 1970s before becoming the host of "Geraldo." Rivera garnered attention from the start of his time on TV — and a great deal of said attention hasn't been positive.

In 1986, the broadcast journalist hosted a TV special that disappointed millions. The program, titled "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults," documented the reveal of the inside of Chicago gangster Al Capone's vault located inside an old hotel. When the vault was broken open using dynamite, cameras uncovered nothing but litter that may or may not have been left by Capone. The stunt was clearly was a bust, but Rivera's career continued to blow up. In 2020, he sat down with People to look back on his 50 years in TV. "They used to say that my life has had more ups and downs than the cycle of roller coasters at Coney Island," the journalist told the outlet. "I believe that that's true. I'm honored, I'm humbled by it."

From on-air arguments with co-workers to insensitive jokes, Rivera has taken a polarizing approach to broadcast journalism that helps him remain in the headlines. Keep reading to find out more about Geraldo Rivera's shady side.

When Casey Anthony went on trial in 2011 for the suspected killing of her 2-year-old daughter, media outlets all across the U.S. and beyond reported on the case day in and day out. Fox News was one of the outlets that took on the trial, which meant that Rivera's opinion on Anthony was shared with the world. As you might have guessed, the famously uncensored reporter didn't hold back.

Rivera discussed a tattoo of Anthony's that read "Bella Vita," which translates to "The Beautiful Life." In a clip shared by Mediaite, the reporter said, "More evidence... I think it will end the prosecution case, Brian, with a bang, so to speak, to show that this was a selfish, narcissistic, self-involved slut who wanted to kill her child to have 'la bella vita.'" This controversial moment resulted in backlash, and went on to make Politico's list of "Top 5 legendary Geraldo incidents." 

Rivera got riled up about Anthony again during an appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor" in 2011 after the mother was acquitted of killing her daughter. This time, he shared a much different opinion. "There's a couple of things that people forget," Rivera said while analyzing the jury's decision. He added, "Number one, there was not one bit of evidence that this mother ever in any way neglected or abused this child."

Geraldo Rivera's boldness got him involved in controversy once again during an episode of "The Five" on Fox News in March 2023. Rivera and his co-workers were in the middle of discussing the four Americans who were kidnapped by cartel members in Mexico in 2023. Latavia "Tay" McGee and Eric James Williams survived the kidnapping, and Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard were murdered. In a particularly tasteless moment, Rivera decided to make some jokes about drugs while reporting on this heartbreaking tragedy. According to the Independent, he declared that he was "never into cocaine" and said his behavior was "unlike some sitting at this table." "The Five" co-host Jesse Watters chimed in and jokingly called colleague Dana Perino "Snow White."

Rivera has proven time and time again that he won't shy away from crossing the line. Just a few months before, he made another offensive comment that got a lot of heat. "I think the most important person in the failure of the Democratic Party is George Floyd," he said on a 2022 episode of "The Five," as per Hollywood Unlocked. "I think that once he was murdered, the country went crazy with defund the police and everything else. So the democrats led the charge." Users took to Twitter to share their frustrations. "Geraldo Rivera has no business being employed by Fox News," author Brigitte Gabriel tweeted. "It's telling that they continue to allow him on their network to spew lies."

The New York Times caused a bit of chaos for Geraldo Rivera in 2005 after a writer alleged he "nudged" a rescue worker out of the way to obtain camera time. Journalist Alessandra Stanley made the claim in her column. "Some reporters helped stranded victims because no police officers or rescue workers were around," she wrote. "[Rivera] nudged an Air Force rescue worker out of the way so his camera crew could tape him as he helped lift an older woman in a wheelchair to safety."

Did Rivera actually push past a rescue worker? Footage of the incident in question was aired on "The O'Reilly Factor," and the video showed that Stanley's statement didn't exactly hold water. Rivera didn't hesitate to insult The New York Times journalist who made the allegation during an appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor."

The New York Times later addressed the scandal. "The editors understood the 'nudge' comment as the television critic's figurative reference to Mr. Rivera's flamboyant intervention," the statement read. "Numerous readers, however — now including Byron Calame, the newspaper's public editor, who also scrutinized the tape — read the comment as a factual assertion. The Times acknowledges that no nudge was visible on the broadcast." Rivera was ready to move on from this debacle but did have some thoughts on the newspaper's handling of its mistake. "I want everybody to remember who made the factual error and refused to correct it," he said, per Today.

Geraldo Rivera's take on Trayvon Martin's tragic death was nothing short of shocking. The TV personality shared a not-so-well-received opinion on the Florida teen who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012. "I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies," Rivera said on "Fox & Friends." "I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was."

He added, "You have to recognize that this whole stylizing yourself as a 'gangsta' you're gonna be a 'gangsta' wannabe, well people are gonna perceive you as a menace. That's what happens. It is an instant reflexive action." Rivera even stood behind this statement despite the backlash on a separate episode of "Fox & Friends." Some suggested that Geraldo should have been fired for his comments, but considering the fact that he has made similarly controversial comments over the years, it seems that his employer might not mind.

Rivera later apologized in a statement shared with Politico. "I apologize to anyone offended by what one prominent black conservative called my 'very practical and potentially life-saving campaign urging black and Hispanic parents not to let their children go around wearing hoodies,'" he said in part. Rivera also issued an apology to Martin's parents.

TV personality Matt Lauer was fired from NBC News in 2017 after he faced a number of sexual misconduct allegations. Many of the former "Today" host's colleagues cut ties with him after the allegations came to light, but Geraldo Rivera actually defended him. He took to Twitter to suggest that Lauer's alleged behavior was somehow just part of the broadcast journalism business.

"Sad about @MLauer great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me," Rivera penned. "News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation. What about #GarrisonKeillor?" In a separate tweet he shared, "A jerk's a jerk in dating. #SexHarassment should be confined to situations where superior imposes himself on subordinate who feels unable to complain because of power of perp or feared consequences to victim's employment. Shouldn't be used to get even w bad bosses or hated ex's."

Understandably, these tweets didn't go over well, and Fox News stepped in to share that they did not support what Rivera said about Lauer. This may have been what pushed the reporter to issue an apology. His tweets got him into even more trouble though, because a 1991 interview resurfaced in which singer Bette Midler alleged Rivera and a producer assaulted her. He later apologized to Midler on Twitter but maintained he remembered their interaction differently. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

It seems that Geraldo Rivera can't even mourn the death of a fellow journalist without creating controversy. In 2013, Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings was killed in a car accident in Los Angeles. Hastings' 2010 exposé on U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal put his name on the map. In the profile, McChrystal and his staff disrespected the Obama administration, and it was so impactful that then-President Barack Obama responded to the general's behavior in a statement. "The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be met by — set by a commanding general," Obama said, per Rolling Stone. "It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system."

McChrystal later announced his decision to resign. It seems that Rivera wasn't a fan of Hastings' exposé, because he brought it up in a tweet following the journalist's death. The TV personality penned, "Reporter Michael Hastings KI tragic car wreck Condolences to familyBut hard to forget he destroyed career of 1 of our best fighting generals."

Geraldo Rivera caught the attention of rapper Kendrick Lamar when he mentioned his 2015 BET performance of his song "Alright" during a Fox News broadcast. The song, which includes lyrics like "And we hate po-po / Wanna kill us dead in the street for sure," prompted Rivera to take a swipe at Lamar and the entire genre of hip-hop. "This is why I say that Hip-Hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years," the TV personality said. "This is exactly the wrong message."

Lamar fired back by including audio of Rivera's rant in his song "DNA." He also mentioned Fox News in his song "YAH": "Fox News wanna use my name for percentage / Somebody tell Geraldo this n***a got ambition." 

Of course, Rivera didn't hesitate to issue a response to the rapper. During a Facebook Live stream he shared, "Aside from Drake, in my opinion, [Kendrick Lamar is] probably the best hip-hop artist out there today." He later added, "I think too much of hip-hop, too much of rap in the last couple of decades has really portrayed the cops as the enemy, as the occupying army in the ghetto, in the inner city, in the urban centers." He also doubled down on his previous "Hip-Hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism" comment.

Geraldo Rivera is known to get into heated arguments with his Fox News co-hosts. One disagreement got so intense that Rivera began firing off insults at fellow reporter Greg Gutfeld. The pair began debating the topic of abortion rights during an episode of "The Five." The 2022 segment aired just after the Supreme Court announced the plan to move forward with its decision to overturn the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade.

"What this shows is that the Senate confirmation process by which a nominee is interrogated by both parties and give their reasons why they are fit to be on the high court, is absolutely deeply flawed," Rivera said on the show. "Why? Because these nominees lied." Rivera, who is in favor of abortion access, went on to say that the three justices nominated by Donald Trump had planned on overturning Roe v. Wade all along. Gutfeld shot back, "It used to be even the pro-choicers would admit that abortion was an ugly thing, but they felt it had to be a necessary evil. But now when you go anywhere on social media, it's something to celebrate, to cherish, to shout. But the problem with the pro-choicers is that they don't have the balls to state their case plainly."

The two then engaged in a back-and-forth that ended in Rivera calling him "arrogant" and shouting "You insulting punk!"'; Gutfeld called Rivera a "fool." No matter where you stand on the issue, this messy name-calling session was without a doubt shady.

In 2021, Geraldo Rivera got into another heated on-air argument with civil rights attorney Leo Terrell. Per the Independent, the pair appeared on "America's Newsroom" to talk about Tishaura Jones, the first Black woman to be elected as mayor of St Louis, Missouri. Jones had previously said that a white mayor might not be the best fit to serve St Louis because, as she put it during a debate, "I don't believe that they have the lived experiences to lead a majority-minority city."

Terrell, who is Black, shared his stance on Jones' assertion. "That is the most insulting, racist comment," the attorney said. "You know what she's saying? She's saying because you're white you don't understand what we as Black people go through regarding crime. That makes the assumption that Joe Biden doesn't know. To say that she is basically in a better position because she's Black is insulting, it's racist, and it makes no sense whatever. I reject that argument."

Rivera stepped in it big time with his response: "Hey Leo, when was the last time you were in the ghetto?" The attorney made it clear that he wasn't happy with that question. "How dare you say that?" he responded. "What are you trying to imply?" Rivera later took to Twitter to apologize for his remark.