Lis Wiehl Biography 2026: Age, Height, Fox News, Books, Bill O'Reilly Settlement & Net Worth in 2026

Lis Wiehl (born August 19, 1961) is an American legal analyst, author, and former federal prosecutor. She spent more than fifteen years as a legal analyst at Fox News and is the author of twenty books, including the New York Times bestsellers in the Triple Threat and Mia Quinn fiction series.

Her career has run from the US Attorney’s Office in Seattle to Harvard Law School, from network television to true-crime publishing, and through one of the most consequential sexual harassment settlements in American media history. Here is everything to know about her age, height, education, career, books, and net worth.

Quick Facts

Full Name	Lis Wiehl
Nick Name	Lis
Profession	Legal analyst, author, lawyer, podcast and radio host
Birth Date	August 19, 1961
Age	65 years 2 months old
Birth Place	Yakima, Washington, USA
Nationality	American
Known For	Fox News legal analyst (2001–2017); bestselling author; Robert Hanssen book
Ethnicity	White American
Zodiac	Leo
Height	About 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) — reported
Weight	Not publicly disclosed
Hair Color	Blonde
Eye Color	Blue
Qualification	West Valley High School, Yakima; Barnard College (BA, 1983); University of Queensland (MA, 1985); Harvard Law School (JD, 1987)
Religion	Not publicly disclosed
Marital Status	Not publicly disclosed
Spouse	Not publicly disclosed
Relationships	Kept private
Children	Not publicly disclosed
Family Tree	Third-generation federal prosecutor; her father was an FBI agent
Hobbies	Writing, lecturing, true crime
Current Work	Author, legal commentator, podcast host
Years Active	1987–present
Net Worth	Estimated around $4 million — unverified

Fans who follow Lis Wiehl often also search for Bill O’Reilly, Fox News, Harvard Law School, Law & Crime, and Robert Hanssen — the colleague involved in her 2017 settlement, her former network, her alma mater, and the subject of her best-known nonfiction book.

Early Life & Education

Lis Wiehl was born on August 19, 1961, in Yakima, Washington, and graduated from West Valley High School there. She comes from a legal family: her grandfather and her father — an FBI agent — were both federal prosecutors, making her a third-generation one.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College in 1983, a master’s degree in literature from the University of Queensland in 1985, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1987. That combination — literature, law, and broadcast communication — explains the unusual shape of her later career.

That background gave her an unusual advantage in broadcasting. Most legal analysts come to television from one side of the courtroom; Wiehl had prosecuted cases, taught trial advocacy, and written for a national newspaper before she ever appeared on camera. When she explained a legal proceeding, she was drawing on all three.

Career Journey

Lawyer and Prosecutor (1987–1995)

After Harvard, Wiehl practiced law at Perkins Coie in Seattle, where she also wrote bylined articles on legal issues for The New York Times. She then became a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office in Seattle, continuing the family tradition.

Her most prominent government role came during the Clinton impeachment, when she served as deputy chief investigative counsel for Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee.

Law Professor and Broadcaster (1995–2001)

From 1995 to 2001 she was a tenured professor at the University of Washington School of Law, where she ran the Trial Advocacy Program — which won several national awards during her tenure. While teaching, she began working as a reporter and legal analyst for NPR’s All Things Considered and for NBC News, and her commentary soon became in demand.

Teaching has remained part of her identity even after she left the classroom. She has described trial advocacy as the skill that underpins everything else she does — the ability to organize facts, anticipate objections, and explain a complicated situation to people who have no legal training. Television, she has suggested, is not so different from a courtroom.

Fox News and Publishing (2001–2017)

From 2001 to 2017, Wiehl was a legal analyst for the Fox News Channel, appearing weekly on The O’Reilly Factor, Your World with Neil Cavuto, The Kelly File, Lou Dobbs Tonight, and the Imus morning shows. She hosted the Legal Lis radio show and the Wiehl of Justice podcast.

Her writing career ran in parallel. Her first book, Winning Every Time: How to Use the Skills of a Lawyer in the Trials of Your Life, appeared in 2005. The 51% Minority: How Women Still Are Not Equal and What You Can Do About It followed in 2007 and won the 2008 Books for a Better Life award in the motivational category. She went on to publish fiction series — Triple Threat, the East Salem trilogy, Mia Quinn, and Erica Sparks — alongside true-crime nonfiction including Hunting Charles Manson (2018) and A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen (2022).

After Fox: Law & Crime and Radio (2018–Present)

After leaving Fox News, Wiehl joined the Law & Crime network, bringing her podcast Pursuit of Justice with Lis Wiehl with her. She co-hosted WOR Tonight With Joe Concha & Lis Wiehl on 710 WOR and has been an adjunct professor of law at New York Law School.

She continues to appear as a legal expert for CNN, CBS, NBC, NPR, and other outlets, and lectures at colleges and universities around the country.

After Fox, she also continued to write. Her nonfiction has increasingly focused on the mechanics of investigation — how the FBI built cases against the Unabomber, Charles Manson, and Robert Hanssen — which is essentially the subject she has been explaining her entire career, only in longer form.

Career Stats

Federal prosecutor: US Attorney’s Office, Seattle
House Judiciary Committee: Deputy chief investigative counsel during the Clinton impeachment
Law professor: University of Washington School of Law, 1995–2001
Fox News: Legal analyst, 2001–2017
Books: Twenty titles across fiction and nonfiction
Podcast: Pursuit of Justice with Lis Wiehl
Radio: Co-host, WOR Tonight

Personal Life

Family: She is a third-generation federal prosecutor; her father was an FBI agent.
Privacy: She has kept her marriage and family details out of the public eye.
Faith: Not publicly disclosed.
Home: She has lived in Seattle, New York, and Westchester County, New York.

Dating History and Affairs

Wiehl has not publicly confirmed a spouse or partner, and there is no reliable public record of her dating history. Her personal life has stayed largely out of the press, apart from the 2017 allegations against Bill O’Reilly, which she raised through legal channels rather than in interviews.

There have been no other reported relationship scandals. She has not discussed her private life publicly.

Controversies

Wiehl’s career has been largely uncontroversial, with one significant exception that became a national story.

The O’Reilly settlement (2017): Wiehl made sexual harassment allegations against Bill O’Reilly and received a $32 million settlement from him. She signed an affidavit on January 17, 2017, stating that they had settled their dispute; her allegations referred to repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship, and sexually explicit emails. O’Reilly maintained that he had forwarded the emails to Wiehl in her capacity as his personal lawyer. Fox News was not a party to the settlement and said it was a personal matter between the two.
Media coverage of the settlement: The New York Times reported the settlement in October 2017, weeks before Fox renewed O’Reilly’s contract — a detail that became central to wider reporting on the network’s handling of harassment claims.
Net worth claims: Estimates placing her wealth around $4 million circulate widely but are not independently verified.

Awards & Achievements

New York Times bestselling author
Books for a Better Life award, motivational category (2008), for The 51% Minority
Twenty published books across fiction and nonfiction
Fifteen years as a Fox News legal analyst
Tenured professor and director of the Trial Advocacy Program at the University of Washington
Deputy chief investigative counsel, House Judiciary Committee

Physical Statistics

Height: About 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) — reported
Weight: Not publicly disclosed
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Build: Average
On-Air Style: Professional broadcast attire and a direct, explanatory delivery rooted in her courtroom experience

Quotes

“Winning every time” is not about dominating other people. It is about using a lawyer’s skills — preparation, questioning, and persuasion — in the trials of ordinary life.
Lis Wiehl, summarizing the premise of her 2005 book

Favorites

Genre: True crime and legal thriller
Subject: The Robert Hanssen case, which she wrote about in A Spy in Plain Sight
Role: Teaching law, which she did for six years at the University of Washington
Outlet: Law & Crime, where she continued her podcast after Fox
Cause: Gender equality, the subject of The 51% Minority
Food, Travel, Film: Not publicly disclosed

Earnings

Wiehl’s net worth is estimated at around $4 million, built from her legal career, fifteen years of television commentary, and twenty published books. The 2017 settlement with Bill O’Reilly was reported at $32 million, though that figure reflects a legal resolution rather than career earnings.

Fox News salary across fifteen years as a legal analyst
Book advances and royalties from twenty titles
Legal practice and teaching income
Podcast and radio work after leaving Fox
Speaking engagements at universities and conferences

No official net worth figure has been published. The $4 million estimate should be treated as a press approximation.

Interesting Facts

She is a third-generation federal prosecutor.
Her father was an FBI agent.
She has degrees from Barnard, the University of Queensland, and Harvard Law School.
She served as deputy chief investigative counsel during the Clinton impeachment.
She wrote bylined legal articles for The New York Times while practicing at Perkins Coie.
She has published twenty books, including several fiction series.
Her 2017 settlement with Bill O’Reilly was reported at $32 million.
She wrote a book about Robert Hanssen, the FBI agent who spied for Russia.

Did You Know Already?

She taught law at the University of Washington for six years.
She was a legal analyst for NPR and NBC before joining Fox News.
She hosted a podcast called Pursuit of Justice.
She has been an adjunct professor at New York Law School.
Her book Hunting Charles Manson was published in 2018.
She continues to comment on legal matters for CNN, CBS, and NPR.

Official Site: liswiehlbooks.com
Podcast: Pursuit of Justice with Lis Wiehl
IMDb: Lis Wiehl at IMDb

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Lis Wiehl?

She was born on August 19, 1961, which makes her 65 years old as of November 2026.

Is Lis Wiehl still on Fox News?

No. She was a legal analyst there from 2001 to 2017. She later joined the Law & Crime network and has continued to appear as a legal commentator on CNN, CBS, NBC, and NPR.

What happened between Lis Wiehl and Bill O’Reilly?

In 2017 she made sexual harassment allegations against him and received a $32 million settlement. She signed an affidavit confirming the settlement, and Fox News said it was a personal matter between the two and that it was not a party to the agreement.

How many books has Lis Wiehl written?

Twenty. They include the Triple Threat series, the East Salem trilogy, the Mia Quinn mysteries, the Erica Sparks series, and nonfiction such as Hunting Charles Manson and A Spy in Plain Sight.

What is Lis Wiehl’s net worth?

Estimated at around $4 million, based on her legal, television, and publishing careers. No verified figure exists.

What was Lis Wiehl’s role in the Clinton impeachment?

She served as deputy chief investigative counsel for the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee during President Clinton’s impeachment proceedings.

Conclusion

Lis Wiehl’s career is a rare three-part composition: a prosecutor and law professor, a network legal analyst, and a bestselling novelist. She has spent her professional life explaining complicated systems — the law, the FBI, the justice system — to people outside them, and in doing so became one of the most recognizable legal voices on American television. If you found this biography helpful, please share it with other readers!