Bill O’Reilly

The O’Reilly Factor host and Westbury native is one of the best known and most-watched political commentators in the country, and each year his influence and power only grows. He’s also a prolific author; last year’s Killing Lincoln—a nonfiction account of the 1865 assassination of President Abraham Lincoln—joined many of his other works on The New York Times best-sellers list, with more than 1 million copies printed to date. Whether it’s voicing his opposition to an Islamic center near Ground Zero, lambasting Barney Frank or sounding off about Justin Bieber, George Clooney and President Obama, two things are a given: A) O’Reilly, a graduate of Chaminade High School, will call it how he sees it, controversial or not, and B) It’s going to be must-see-TV. As the November presidential election nears and Obama-Romney showdowns take center stage, one other thing’s a certainty: His in-your-face, no-holds-barred brand of political commentary will be right there, too.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2012