The O’Reilly Update — December 27, 2025

Overview

This episode of The O’Reilly Update features Bill O’Reilly and news contributor Mike Slater recapping current events from the week, highlighting U.S. military action abroad, weather emergencies in California, cultural celebrations in Washington, D.C., and media controversy over a Christmas classic. O’Reilly shares a personal Christmas story, answers listener mail about news literacy and conservative media, and gives a brief history lesson on “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[00:40] News Highlights with Mike Slater

• Trump's Christmas Message & Military Action

  • President Trump’s annual Christmas message included his signature tone: “Merry Christmas to all, including this year, the radical left scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our country but are failing badly.”
  • Breaking Tweet (paraphrased): Trump announced a deadly U.S. strike against ISIS terrorists in Northwest Nigeria, focusing on those targeting innocent Christians. He stated: “Our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military and merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
  • (01:00) The military action is framed as a decisive American response to anti-Christian violence abroad.

• Southern California Flooding

  • Major flooding leads to two deaths, with rain expected to persist.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom has declared emergencies across several counties; 120+ first responders were working over Christmas.
  • Public Reminder: Mike Slater thanks emergency workers: “Thank you for keeping us safe.” (02:10)

• Washington Monument Illumination

  • Starting New Year’s night, D.C.’s Washington Monument will feature nightly projections illustrating America’s history for six nights as part of the 250th anniversary celebrations.
  • “It's free if you're in the area. Projections begin at 7 o'clock every night.” (02:35)

• Amazon Criticized for ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Edit

  • Amazon reportedly removed the critical “Pottersville” sequence from its abridged version.
  • “The full version is 131 minutes. Don't miss one of them.” (03:25)

[04:10] Message of the Day: Bill’s Christmas Tale

• Story: O'Reilly recounts Christmas in Vienna, 1969
  • He was 21, alone in Europe, planned to see the Vienna Boys Choir but was shocked by the extensive ticket costs and couldn’t get in even after trying to sneak.
  • Alone in his pension, the landlady offered a simple cake and candle.
  • “That was some Christmas. Hope you enjoy yours.” (06:25)
  • Tone: Wistful and self-deprecating, typical O’Reilly storytelling.

[07:15] Listener Mail

• Power Through Knowledge

  • Zach Washburn (Oklahoma City) thanks O’Reilly for fact-based reporting:
    “I’ve come to understand how true it is in trying to find actual fact-based news broadcasts…” (07:35)
  • O’Reilly responds:
    “The more you know and the better you present yourself, the quicker you're going to rise in your job, man. You don't have to be a partisan. I'm just giving you fact after fact after fact...” (07:55)

• Conservative Commentary & Candace Owens

  • Donald Warner (North Carolina) asks about the rise of uneducated voices like Owens.
  • O’Reilly:
    “Because they’re Americans. Everybody's going to have a talk show… I don’t go into that world. I know what they do. Attack, attack, attack. Click, click, click, click, click. Conspiracy, conspiracy, conspiracy. You like it? Take it. Not me. My time is valuable.” (08:05)

• Next Book Plans

  • Jerry Shrivo (Michigan) inquires about O’Reilly’s next “confronting book.”
  • O’Reilly:
    “Yeah, I’m writing it. Called Confronting What Has to Change. This is my last book under contract. It'll be out in September if I can finish it. Hard book to write because everything changes in this country in a moment.” (08:25)

[09:35] “Something You Might Not Know”: The Story Behind Alvin and the Chipmunks

• Origins & Success

  • 67 years ago, “The Chipmunk Song” hit number one on the Billboard chart.
  • Ross Bagsarian (aka Dave Seville) used tape speed tricks to create the chipmunks’ voices; first found chart success with “Witch Doctor.”
  • “In November, Dave Seville and his trio released the Chipmunk Song...the tune was an immediate sensation. On December 22, 1958, it hit number one.” (10:35)
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks transitioned to TV, comics, movies, etc.

• Little-known Fact

  • Bagsarian had a cameo in Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” (“If you look very close, Seville is playing piano in the apartment across from Jimmy Stewart…”). (12:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump’s Christmas Message (01:00)
  • “Merry Christmas to all, including this year, the radical left scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our country but are failing badly.”
• U.S. military strike announcement (01:15)
  • “May God bless our military and merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
• O’Reilly’s Christmas Memory (06:30)
  • “So I went back to my pension and I was alone Christmas Eve. And the lady who ran the little hotel where I was gave me a nice little present, a cake and a candle. That was some Christmas.”
• Advice on Knowledge and Conversation (07:55)
  • “You don't have to be a partisan. I'm just giving you fact after fact after fact after fact.”
• On entertainment pundits & conspiracies (08:10)
  • “Attack, attack, attack. Click, click, click, click, click. Conspiracy, conspiracy, conspiracy. You like it? Take it. Not me. My time is valuable.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:40 — News Headlines (Mike Slater)
• 03:32 — (Ad Break, skipped)
• 04:10 — Message of the Day: Bill’s Christmas Tale
• 07:15 — Listener Mail
• 09:35 — “Something You Might Not Know”: Alvin and the Chipmunks Story

Summary Verdict

This episode mixes news analysis and personal storytelling in Bill O’Reilly’s signature straightforward style. Key issues include the president’s brash Christmas message and foreign policy actions, domestic emergencies, media controversies, and American pop culture history. O’Reilly also offers practical advice to listeners on approaching public discourse with factual knowledge rather than partisan spin, and gives a relatable and humble holiday anecdote. The tone remains direct, wry, and intermittently sentimental throughout the show.