[7][2] Rivera is a common family name in Puerto Rico, which received a significant population of colonists from Galicia, Spain, in the 16th century.

When I was born, my mother filled in my birth certificate with the name Gerald Riviera, adding an extra "i" to my father's surname.

Underneath, I came to realize, she was deeply embarrassed over what was a clumsy attempt at an ethnic cover-up.From 1961 to 1963, he attended the State University of New York Maritime College in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, where he was a member of the rowing team.

[10] Following a series of jobs ranging from clothing salesman to short-order cook, Rivera enrolled at Brooklyn Law School in 1966.

While a law student, he held internships with the New York County District Attorney under crime-fighter Frank Hogan and Harlem Assertion of Rights (a community-based provider of legal services) before receiving his J.D.

[11] After working with such organizations as the lower Manhattan-based Community Action for Legal Services and the National Lawyers Guild, Rivera became a frequent attorney for the East Harlem-based New York City chapter of the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, eventually precipitating his entry into private practice.

[11][12] This work attracted the attention of WABC-TV news director Al Primo when Rivera was interviewed about the group's occupation of a neighborhood church in 1969.

In July 1973, Rivera taped the pilot episode of Good Night America, a late-night newsmagazine that he hosted (and executive produced).

[17] Good Night America tackled controversial topics of the era, including marijuana usage and the status of Vietnam War draft dodgers.

The March 6, 1975 episode of the program, featuring Dick Gregory and Robert J. Groden, showed the first national telecast of the historic Zapruder film.

[20] In October 1985, ABC's Roone Arledge refused to air a report done by Sylvia Chase for 20/20 on the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and John and Robert F.

During a Fox News interview with Megyn Kelly aired May 15, 2015, Rivera stated the official reason given for the firing was that he violated ABC policy when he donated $200 to a non-partisan mayoral race candidate.

The special broadcast was billed as the unearthing of mobster Al Capone's secret vaults, located under the old Lexington Hotel in Chicago.

In 2001, during the War in Afghanistan, Rivera was derided for a report in which he claimed to be at the scene of a friendly fire incident; it was later revealed he was actually 300 miles away.

During a Fox News broadcast, Rivera began to disclose an upcoming operation, even going so far as to draw a map in the sand for his audience.

The military immediately issued a firm denunciation of his actions, saying it put the operation at risk; Rivera was expelled from Iraq.

[31] In 2005, Rivera engaged in a feud with The New York Times over their allegations that he pushed aside a member of a rescue team in order to be filmed "assisting" a woman in a wheelchair down some steps in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Malkin announced that she would not return to The O'Reilly Factor, claiming that Fox News had mishandled a dispute over derogatory statements Rivera had made about her in a Boston Globe interview.

[45] In 2015, Rivera competed on the 14th season of the television series The Celebrity Apprentice, where he ultimately placed second to TV personality Leeza Gibbons.

On November 13, 2015, Rivera revealed on Fox that his daughter, Simone Cruickshank, was at the Stade de France when the attacks and explosions occurred; she and her friends made it out alive and would be returning safely home.

[46] He continued to host a weekday talk radio show on WABC (770 AM) until a leadership change at parent company Cumulus Media resulted in his contract not being renewed in November 2015; Geraldo would later sue Cumulus for what he claimed was the reneging of a "handshake agreement" between him, previous chairman Lew Dickey and executive vice president John Dickey.

[49] On November 29, 2017, Rivera defended Matt Lauer, who had been fired by NBC after inappropriate sexual behavior was alleged, by saying, "News is a flirty business.

On March 13, 2020, during a segment of Fox & Friends discussing the coronavirus pandemic, Rivera stated, "If you can't hold your breath for 10 seconds.

[58] On September 6, 2020, Fox News presented a one-hour special segment, "I Am Geraldo", on Rivera's 50-year television career, which began with accolades for such from President Trump.

[59] On April 8, 2021, during a discussion on St. Louis mayor-elect Tishaura Jones, Rivera asked fellow contributor Leo Terrell, a black man, "when was the last time you were in the ghetto?

[61] On December 14, 2021, Rivera called to account texts sent by Fox news anchors, including Sean Hannity to then-President Donald J. Trump asking for a forceful response to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.

As a result he quit Fox News after 23 years, citing "growing tension that goes beyond editorial differences and personal annoyances and gripes.

[78] He also sailed Voyager 1,400 miles up the Amazon river and around the world, going so far as to meet the King of Tonga on the international dateline in time for the new millennium.

[88] That same year Rivera criticized the United States for providing arms to Israel which it used to bomb the Gaza Strip and sided with Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in opposing the sale.

[92] He announced in 2024 that he would be voting for Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election due to his personal objections to the January 6 Capitol riots and his opposition to Trump's economic policies.