Editing Geraldo Rivera (section)

===Talk shows, specials, and guest appearances===

On April 21, 1986, Rivera hosted ''[[The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults]]''. The special broadcast was billed as the unearthing of mobster [[Al Capone]]'s secret vaults, located under the old [[Lexington Hotel (Chicago)|Lexington Hotel]] in Chicago. Millions of people watched the 2-hour show, which ultimately did not uncover any valuables from beneath the hotel. In a 2016 interview with the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', Rivera commented, "It was an amazingly high profile program—maybe the highest profile program I've ever been associated with."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-al-capone-vault-geraldo-rivera-htmlstory.html |title=For its 30th anniversary, we watched ''Al Capone's Vaults'' with Geraldo Rivera so you didn't have to |author=Rumore, Kori |date=April 22, 2016 |access-date=October 14, 2016 }}</ref>

In 1987, Rivera began producing and hosting the daytime talk show ''[[Geraldo (talk show)|Geraldo]]'', which ran for 11 years. The show featured controversial guests and theatricality, which led to the characterization of his show as "[[tabloid talk show|trash TV]]" by ''[[Newsweek]]'' and two [[United States Senate|United States senators]].<ref>{{cite news |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |title=Two Democratic Senators Join Bennett's Crusade Against 'Trash TV' |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/20671503.html?dids=20671503:20671503&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326021021/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/20671503.html?dids=20671503:20671503&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-03-26 |format=newspaper |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=26 |date=1995-12-08 |access-date=2009-03-02 |quote=Two Democratic senators are joining Friday with William Bennett ... to criticize advertisers who support what critics call 'trash TV' talk shows ... In television and radio ads to begin airing Friday, Bennett and Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) urge companies to withdraw advertising dollars from ... [shows including] 'Geraldo,'}}</ref> In another special in 1988, Rivera's nose was broken in a [[Geraldo (talk show)|well-publicized brawl]] during a show whose guests included [[white supremacy|white supremacists]], [[Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice|antiracist skinheads]], black activist [[Roy Innis]], and militant Jewish activists.<ref>{{cite news |title=Geraldo Rivera's Nose Broken In Scuffle on His Talk Show |url=https://nytimes.com/1988/11/04/nyregion/geraldo-rivera-s-nose-broken-in-scuffle-on-his-talk-show.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=1988-11-04 |access-date=2013-01-17}}</ref>

In 1999, Rivera received an offer to host the game show ''[[Winning Lines (U.S. game show)|Winning Lines]]'' on [[CBS]], which was set to premiere in January 2000, but Rivera could not agree on the contract at the last minute and was replaced by [[Dick Clark]].

From 1994 to 2001, Rivera hosted ''Rivera Live'', a [[CNBC]] evening news and interview show which aired on weeknights.<ref>{{cite news |last=Beatty|first=Sally |date=2001-11-02 |title=Geraldo Rivera to Leave CNBC for Fox and, Then, to Cover War |url=https://wsj.com/articles/SB1004655866590763080 |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |location=New York}}</ref>

In 1998, Rivera played himself in the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' finale.

In 2009, Rivera played himself in the ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' episodes "Inside Probe" (parts 1 and 2). In the same year Rivera lent his voice to ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'', playing newscaster Morty Williams in the episode "[[Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!]]".