- His most famous program was The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults (1986) that aired in April 1986. When Chicago's 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 Capone's Vault" has come to mean any overhyped event that leads to nothing.
- 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.".
- Listed on his birth certificate as Gerald Michael Riviera, though his parents' surname is 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.
- 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 Harlems's largely Hispanic Young Lords gang. His brother is newscaster Craig Rivera, who previously gained experience as Geraldo's 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.
- Good friend of John Lennon and Jose Baez.
- 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 Sol's 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, he's "done" .
- NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff once said of him: "There are two words that serve as a signal that you're operating in an area of questionable taste. Those words are 'Geraldo Rivera.'"
- Hosted ABC's Episode dated 6 March 1975 (1975) the very night Abraham Zapruder's film footage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination was first televised for the public in 1975.
- Longtime friend of nearly 35 years is the late Joan Rivers. Rivera attended her funeral, when the comedienne passed away on September 7, 2014.
- Allegedly married first wife Linda Coblentz in part to avoid the Vietnam War draft.
- On Hannity (2009) 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.
- 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 Jackson's 1993 criminal case.
- Graduate of the University of Arizona and Brooklyn Law School.
- Unlike fellow talk show hostess Joan Rivers, Rivera was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars (2005). He was the first contestant to be knocked out of the contest, on the show's 22nd season.
- After Joan Rivers was fired from her own late night talk show (The Late Show (1986)), and after having lost her husband (Edgar Rosenberg) to suicide, he talked her into hosting her own talk show, from the same company he was under contract, which was (The Joan Rivers Show (1989)), which fortunately she did, where she stayed for 5 1/2 years.
- His ex-wife, Edie Vonnegut, is Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s daughter. His autobiography, written in 1991, is "Exposing Myself".
- Siblings are Craig Rivera, Sharon Rivera, and Irene Rivera Hurst. Cousin is the late Wilfredo Rivera, adopted by Geraldo's parents.
- Since his maternal grandfather was a Friedman from Dolhinov, Belarus, he may be related to the late economist Milton Friedman.
- Release of his book, "His Panic: Why America Fear Hispanics in the U.S.". (2008)
- The fictional news anchorman character Hector Ramirez which appeared in several popular cartoon series during the 1980s (G.I. Joe (1985), The Transformers (1984), Jem (1985) and InHumanoids (1986), all produced by Marvel-Sunbow Production) was a parody of Rivera.
- 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.
- Senior columnist for FoxNewsLatino.com.
- He is selling shares in his yacht "Voyager" and his private island, El Cayo, in Puerto Rico.
- Joined Fox News Channel in November 2001 as a war correspondent.
- Good friend of Alana Stewart, since her first marriage to George Hamilton, and they were neighbors in Malibu, California.
- His niece lost her Lindenhurst, NJ home in Hurricane Sandy, Oct 2012. His nephew also lost his home in Bay Shore.
- Release of his book, "A Special Kind of Courage: Profiles of Young Americans". (1976)
- Inducted into the International Mustache Hall of Fame in 2015 (inaugural class) in the category Film & Television.
- His mother, Lillie/Lilian Friedman (1919-June 3, 2018), was a Jewish American of Russian Jewish ancestry, daughter of Isaac Michael and Tillie Krivel Friedman. She was born in New Jersey, to an Orthodox Jewish family from Dolhinov, Belarus. They had recently lived in various provinces in Canada. His father, Cruz "Allen" Rivera (October 1915-November 1987), 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 subsequently lived in Sarasota and Siesta Key. She continued to be close to her children, all of whom she had raised Jewish, and even appeared with Craig on one episode of 'Geraldo at Large' from Florida via satellite as well as on Geraldo's 40th anniversary special in studio.
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. - 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.
- 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 (b. 1987) by a previous relationship; Solita Liliana (b. August 2005) by Erica Levy.
- Chosen by People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world. (1991)
- 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.
- Former radio talk show host with WABC in New York City.
- Release of his autobiography, "Exposing Myself" by Geraldo with Daniel Paisiner. (1991)
- New York, USA: He joined 77 WABC (in New York) and 77 KABC (WABC's sister station in Los Angeles) as a radio talk show host. He currently lives in Manhattan with his wife and their daughter Sol. (January 2012)
- Unlike fellow talk show hostess Joan Rivers, Rivera is an avid music listener.
- Graduated from West Babylon High School, in West Babylon, New York, in 1961.
- 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.
- His fourth wife, C.C. Dyer, did not take his last name when they married.
- Wife Erica Levy's mother is Nancy and father is Howard Levy (whom was a prostate cancer survivor, but died in 2007).
- Married at Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
- 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 Glee (2009).
- His son, Cruz Rivera, became the father of a girl, who was born on June 30, 2015. She is Geraldo's first granddaughter.
- His first granddaughter, Ella Rose Rivera, was born on June 30, 2015. Ella Rose is the sister of his grandson Jace.
- Parodied by comedians Cheech & Chong as "Horrendo Revolver" on their 1974 "Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album".
- Release of his book, "The Great Progression: How Hispanics Will Lead America to a New Era of Prosperity". (September 2009)
- At the time Rivera was writing the book "Exposing Myself," when his best friend Joan Rivers, asked Liza Minnelli (on his best friends' talk series, The Joan Rivers Show (1989)) if she ever called him. Minnelli was very opened and honest about her life, although that was just a flirtation, between the two.
- Frequently talks about the death and the longtime friendship of Joan Rivers in every interview.
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