Maureen E. McPhilmy is best known as the former wife of television commentator Bill O’Reilly. Their long marriage, two children, and difficult divorce brought her name into the public eye. Yet Maureen had a professional life of her own, working in public relations. After separating from O’Reilly, she became involved in a lengthy custody dispute that received national media attention. She later married Jeffrey Gross and returned to a much quieter life. Although many websites publish personal claims about Maureen, reliable information remains limited. Her documented story centers mainly on her career, marriages, children, divorce, and efforts to maintain privacy.
Maureen E. McPhilmy’s Personal Details
| Personal Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Maureen Elizabeth McPhilmy |
| Date of Birth | May 11, 1966 |
| Age | 60 years old (as of 2026) |
| Reported Birthplace | Chittenango, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Public relations professional |
| Known For | Being Bill O’Reilly’s ex-wife |
| Former Husband | Bill O’Reilly |
| Marriage Date | November 2, 1996 |
| Divorce Finalized | September 1, 2011 |
| Children | Madeline and Spencer O’Reilly |
| Current Husband | Jeffrey Gross |
| Second Marriage | Reportedly around 2012 |
| Social Media | No clearly verified public account |
| Current Residence | Not reliably confirmed |
Who Is Maureen E. McPhilmy?
Maureen Elizabeth McPhilmy is an American public relations professional who became widely known through her marriage to Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly was one of the most recognizable personalities on American cable television during their years together. Maureen, however, never developed the same type of public career. She worked behind the scenes rather than appearing regularly on television. The couple married in 1996 and became parents to two children before separating in 2010. Their divorce was finalized the following year. Maureen later married Jeffrey Gross, a law enforcement officer. Since then, she has generally remained outside celebrity and political media coverage.
Maureen E. McPhilmy’s Early Life
Maureen Elizabeth McPhilmy was born in New York State and is commonly reported to have grown up in Chittenango, a village in Madison County. Detailed information about her childhood is limited. Some online biographies provide stories about her parents and their occupations, but these claims are difficult to verify through stronger sources. There is also little reliable information about her siblings or early family experiences. Because Maureen was not a public figure during her youth, much of this part of her story remained private. Her life became more widely covered only after her relationship with Bill O’Reilly attracted attention during his growing television career.
How Old Is Maureen E. McPhilmy?
Maureen E. McPhilmy is reported to have been born on May 11, 1966, in Chittenango, New York. Based on that date, she turned 60 years old in May 2026. She is younger than her former husband, Bill O’Reilly, who was born on September 10, 1949. Although Maureen spent many years connected to a nationally known television personality, she has rarely made her age or other personal information a subject of public discussion. Most biographical information about her comes from coverage of her marriage, divorce, and custody proceedings rather than interviews she has personally given about her background or private life.
Maureen E. McPhilmy’s Career in Public Relations
Maureen has been widely identified as a public relations professional. Her work in that field is especially relevant because it reportedly helped bring her into Bill O’Reilly’s professional circle. Public relations work generally involves helping organizations or individuals communicate with audiences and manage their public image. However, detailed information about Maureen’s employers, clients, or later professional positions is limited. Some biography sites provide specific timelines for her career, but these details are not always backed by strong documentation. Unlike O’Reilly, Maureen did not make television appearances the center of her career. Her professional life has generally remained behind the scenes and outside regular media coverage.
How Did Maureen McPhilmy Meet Bill O’Reilly?
Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly reportedly met in 1992 while working around the television program A Current Affair. O’Reilly had joined the syndicated newsmagazine as an anchor in 1989 and remained with the program until 1995. Maureen was working in public relations when their professional paths crossed. Their connection eventually developed into a romantic relationship. Because neither has provided a detailed public account of their first meeting, stories describing exactly how their romance began should be treated cautiously. What is well established is that their relationship developed during the 1990s, as O’Reilly’s television career was becoming increasingly prominent, and eventually led to marriage.
Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly’s Relationship
Maureen and Bill O’Reilly were together during an important period in O’Reilly’s career. After leaving A Current Affair, he eventually became the host of The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News, a program that made him one of cable television’s best-known commentators. Maureen maintained a much lower public profile during their relationship. Although she was married to a famous television figure, she rarely became part of his public media identity. Their relationship eventually lasted well over a decade as a married couple and included the birth of two children. By 2010, however, the marriage had broken down, beginning a difficult period of separation, divorce, and custody litigation.
Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly’s Wedding
Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly married on November 2, 1996. Published biographical accounts place their wedding at St. Brigid Parish in Westbury, New York. At the time, O’Reilly was entering a major new stage in his television career. The O’Reilly Factor, originally titled The O’Reilly Report, began that same year on the newly launched Fox News Channel. Maureen and Bill went on to spend about fourteen years together as a married couple before separating. Although their later divorce became widely reported, relatively few reliable details about the wedding itself have remained in public circulation. Their marriage is better documented through later family and court records.
Who Is Bill O’Reilly?
Bill O’Reilly is an American television commentator, author, and former cable news host. Born on September 10, 1949, he worked in local television before moving into national broadcasting. He hosted Inside Edition and later became closely associated with Fox News through The O’Reilly Factor. The program became one of cable news television’s most successful shows during his time at the network. O’Reilly left Fox News in 2017 following controversy surrounding sexual harassment allegations and settlements. He has continued producing political commentary through other platforms. His marriage to Maureen McPhilmy was his only publicly documented marriage and produced his two children, Madeline and Spencer.
Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly’s Children
Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly became parents to two children during their marriage. Their daughter, Madeline, was born in 1998, and their son, Spencer, followed in 2003. Both children were still young when their parents separated in 2010. Their welfare later became central to the former couple’s lengthy custody proceedings. Despite their father’s fame and the public attention surrounding the divorce, Madeline and Spencer have generally remained private individuals. Information about their adult careers and everyday lives should therefore be treated carefully. Maureen and O’Reilly’s legal disputes received considerable coverage, but their children themselves have not pursued comparable public profiles.
Who Are Madeline and Spencer O’Reilly?
Madeline O’Reilly is the older child of Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly, while Spencer is their younger son. Madeline was born in 1998 and Spencer in 2003. They grew up while their father was one of the biggest personalities on Fox News, but neither child became a regular part of his television career. Their names received greater attention during their parents’ custody dispute, particularly because the children’s preferences became relevant to court decisions about their living arrangements. Beyond those proceedings, reliable information about Madeline and Spencer is limited. Both have largely remained outside the public spotlight, and their privacy should be respected.
Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly’s Separation and Divorce
Maureen and Bill O’Reilly separated in April 2010 after roughly fourteen years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized on September 1, 2011. The end of the marriage did not end their legal disputes. Questions involving custody of their two children continued through the courts for several more years. Later litigation also involved financial and personal accusations between the former spouses. Because some records were connected to confidential family proceedings, not every detail became publicly available. The split nevertheless attracted considerable media attention because O’Reilly was a major television personality. Maureen, who had previously maintained a lower profile, consequently became the subject of wider public interest.
The Custody Battle Over Their Children
The custody dispute between Maureen McPhilmy and Bill O’Reilly continued for years after their divorce. In 2016, a New York appellate court upheld an arrangement giving Maureen primary residential custody of Madeline and Spencer. The ruling did not simply eliminate O’Reilly’s parental role. Published accounts of the decision indicated that the former couple continued sharing legal custody, while the children lived primarily with their mother. The court considered the circumstances of the family and the children’s preferences when deciding what arrangement served their best interests. The ruling marked an important stage in a long legal conflict that had continued well beyond the couple’s 2011 divorce.
Abuse Allegations and Bill O’Reilly’s Denial
One of the most serious issues reported during the custody dispute involved an allegation of domestic violence. Media reports about court proceedings said the couple’s daughter described witnessing O’Reilly physically assaulting Maureen at their home. The allegation became public through reporting on testimony connected to the custody case. O’Reilly strongly denied the claim. Through his attorney, he described allegations against him in the matter as false and said he would respect court-ordered confidentiality intended to protect his children. Because the claim was disputed, it should be described as an allegation rather than an established fact. The episode added further public attention to an already difficult family dispute.
Who Is Jeffrey Gross?
Jeffrey Gross became publicly known through his relationship with Maureen McPhilmy following her separation from Bill O’Reilly. Published reports have identified Gross as a Nassau County police detective. Before his relationship with Maureen, Gross had been married to Kathleen McBride, with whom he had children. McBride died from cervical cancer in 2006. Gross later developed a relationship with Maureen and eventually became her second husband. His connection to the highly publicized O’Reilly divorce brought him some unwanted media attention, but he did not develop a celebrity profile of his own. Like Maureen, he has generally remained outside national entertainment and political media coverage.
Maureen McPhilmy and Jeffrey Gross’ Marriage
Maureen McPhilmy later married Jeffrey Gross after her divorce from Bill O’Reilly. Secondary sources commonly place their marriage around 2012, although a precise wedding date is not as firmly documented as Maureen’s first marriage. Gross had children from his earlier marriage, while Maureen had Madeline and Spencer with O’Reilly, creating a blended family. Their relationship also became part of later legal disputes involving O’Reilly, who made allegations concerning when Maureen’s relationship with Gross began. Rather than continuing to live publicly through that controversy, Maureen and Gross have generally maintained a low profile. Detailed information about their marriage today remains limited.
Maureen McPhilmy’s Life After Divorce
After the divorce and custody litigation, Maureen largely returned to a private life. Her marriage to Jeffrey Gross created a new family chapter away from her former husband’s television career. Although she has been described as a public relations professional, there is little reliable recent information identifying her current employer or specific clients. She also does not regularly give interviews about O’Reilly, their divorce, or the legal battles that followed. This limited public presence makes it difficult to provide detailed updates without speculation. What is clear is that Maureen did not turn her high-profile divorce into an entertainment career and has generally avoided continued media attention.
Where Is Maureen McPhilmy Now?
Maureen McPhilmy continues to maintain a low public profile. Various secondary sources connect her and Jeffrey Gross with New York, but reliable recent reporting about her exact residence and everyday activities is limited. There also does not appear to be a clearly verified public social media presence through which she regularly shares personal updates. Her children are now adults, and the intense custody proceedings that once placed the family in headlines are years in the past. Without recent interviews from Maureen herself, claims about her current job, finances, or daily routine should be treated cautiously. Her present life appears to remain largely outside public view.
Final Thoughts
Maureen E. McPhilmy became publicly known through her marriage to Bill O’Reilly, but her story includes much more than being a famous commentator’s former wife. She worked in public relations, became the mother of Madeline and Spencer, and experienced a difficult divorce followed by years of custody litigation. Serious allegations emerged during those proceedings, which O’Reilly denied. Maureen later married Jeffrey Gross and stepped back into a quieter life. Many details about her present circumstances remain private. By separating documented facts from online speculation, her story can be understood without making unsupported claims about her family, finances, career, or personal relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Maureen E. McPhilmy?
Maureen E. McPhilmy is an American public relations professional best known as the former wife of television commentator Bill O’Reilly. They married in 1996, had two children, and divorced in 2011. Maureen later married Jeffrey Gross.
How old is Maureen McPhilmy?
Maureen McPhilmy was born on May 11, 1966. Based on that date, she turned 60 years old in May 2026. She is reported to have been born in Chittenango, New York.
How many children does Maureen McPhilmy have?
Maureen has two children with Bill O’Reilly. Their daughter, Madeline O’Reilly, was born in 1998, while their son, Spencer O’Reilly, was born in 2003. Both have generally remained outside the public spotlight.
Who is Maureen McPhilmy married to now?
Maureen is married to Jeffrey Gross, who has been identified in published reports as a Nassau County police detective. Secondary sources commonly report that they married around 2012 after Maureen’s divorce from Bill O’Reilly.
What does Maureen McPhilmy do for a living?
Maureen has been identified as a public relations professional. However, reliable recent information about her current employer, clients, or exact position is limited. She has kept her professional and personal life largely private in recent years.
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