Lis Wiehl is an American author, attorney, legal analyst, and former federal prosecutor who has a net worth of $25 million. Lis Wiehl is best known for her long run as a legal analyst and reporter for Fox News, where she appeared across the network for more than 15 years and became a regular presence on "The O'Reilly Factor." A Harvard Law School graduate, Wiehl built an unusually varied career that has included federal prosecution, teaching law, television commentary, radio hosting, podcasting, and writing bestselling fiction and nonfiction books.

Before becoming a nationally recognized media figure, Wiehl worked as a federal prosecutor and later served as a tenured law professor at the University of Washington School of Law. She then transitioned into journalism and legal analysis, contributing to NPR's "All Things Considered," NBC News, Fox News, CNN, CBS, and other outlets. In addition to her television work, she has written more than 19 books, including "Winning Every Time," "The 51% Minority," "Hunting Charles Manson," "Hunting the Unabomber," and "A Spy in Plain Sight." Wiehl's net worth estimate is significantly influenced by a widely reported 2017 $32 million settlement involving former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, which is discussed in more detail below.

Lis Wiehl was born on August 19, 1961, in Yakima, Washington. She graduated from West Valley High School before attending Barnard College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1983.

Wiehl later earned a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland in Australia in 1985. She then returned to the United States and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1987. Her legal background became the foundation for nearly every major phase of her career, from prosecution to academia to television commentary.

After law school, Wiehl began her career in the legal profession and eventually became a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney's Office. She later became a tenured professor at the University of Washington School of Law, where she directed the Trial Advocacy Program.

Wiehl also worked on Capitol Hill during one of the most dramatic legal-political moments of the late 1990s. She served as investigative counsel for Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment proceedings involving President Bill Clinton.

That mix of courtroom experience, academic credentials, and political-legal knowledge made Wiehl a natural fit for television, especially as cable news increasingly relied on attorneys to explain high-profile trials, criminal investigations, Supreme Court decisions, and political scandals.

Before joining Fox News, Wiehl worked as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR's "All Things Considered." She joined Fox News in the early 2000s and became one of the network's most familiar legal voices.

Over the course of her Fox News career, Wiehl appeared on programs including "The O'Reilly Factor," "Your World with Neil Cavuto," "The Kelly File," "Lou Dobbs Tonight," and the "Imus" morning show. She was especially known for her recurring appearances with Bill O'Reilly, including legal debate segments that often focused on major criminal cases and constitutional issues.

Wiehl also worked in radio, including as co-host of "The Radio Factor," and later hosted programs such as "Legal Lis" and the "Wiehl of Justice" podcast. After leaving Fox News, she continued appearing as a legal commentator for outlets including CNN, CBS, NPR, and other media organizations.

Lis Wiehl has written both nonfiction and fiction. Her first major nonfiction book was "Winning Every Time: How to Use the Skills of a Lawyer in the Trials of Your Life," which applied legal strategy to everyday decision-making. She followed that with "The 51% Minority: How Women Still Are Not Equal and What You Can Do About It," which won a Books for a Better Life award.

Wiehl later moved heavily into crime, suspense, and legal-themed books. Her fiction includes the "Triple Threat" series, the "East Salem" trilogy, the "Mia Quinn" mysteries, and the "Erica Sparks" novels. Her nonfiction true-crime and investigative books include "Hunting Charles Manson," "Hunting the Unabomber," and "A Spy in Plain Sight," about FBI agent-turned-Soviet spy Robert Hanssen.

Her books draw heavily on her legal training, prosecutorial experience, and years spent analyzing criminal cases for television.

In 2017, a report emerged claiming that Lis Wiehl received a $32 million settlement from Bill O'Reilly to resolve sexual harassment allegations. The settlement became a major part of the broader public scrutiny surrounding O'Reilly, who left Fox News earlier that year after separate reports about settlements involving harassment allegations.

The more accurate way to describe the settlement is that it was reportedly paid by O'Reilly personally, not by Fox News. Fox's parent company said it had been told O'Reilly had settled a matter with Wiehl, but that the financial terms were confidential and had not been disclosed to the company. O'Reilly denied wrongdoing.

Because of taxes, legal fees, and the private nature of the agreement, the full long-term impact of the reported $32 million settlement on Wiehl's personal fortune is not publicly known. However, the reported settlement is the primary reason her net worth is estimated far above what would typically be expected from a career built on legal analysis, teaching, media appearances, and book royalties alone.

Lis Wiehl was previously married to criminal defense attorney and legal commentator Mickey Sherman. The couple married in 2006 and later separated. Wiehl has two children.

Throughout her career, Wiehl has been closely associated with law, crime, politics, and media. Her professional résumé is unusually broad: federal prosecutor, law professor, congressional counsel, Fox News analyst, radio host, podcaster, novelist, and true-crime author. That combination made her one of the more recognizable legal commentators of the cable-news era.