Table of Contents
Known from movies
Billy the Exterminator (2009-2012)
as Himself
Billy the Exterminator (2016)
as Himself – Host / Himself – Exterminator
Dirty Jobs (2005–2010)
as Himself
Lopez Tonight (2010)
as Himself
Short information
| Fact | He and his family run a destruction company in Louisiana called Vexcon. |
William Bretherton – known as Billy the Exterminator – is an American reality television star and pest exterminator. He was the main character in the TV series ‘Billy the Exterminator’ which aired on the A&E network and followed his life and career.
Early life, education, family
Billy Bretherton was born on September 16, 1968 in Louisiana, USA. He has a younger brother Ricky. His parents are Bill and Donnie Bretherton, who raised him, and all members of the family appeared in the series “Billy the Exterminator”.
At age 19, Billy enlisted in the United States Air Force, seeking a career in law enforcement. The military entrance exam showed that he is good in biology, so he continued his education by studying entomology and biology.
Career
Billy’s career in extermination began at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. He then founded the company in 1996 with the support of his family “Vexcon Animal and Pest Control” in Benton, Louisiana, just before he left the Air Force as a Senior Airman.
The family lived in New Jersey when his father retired, and he invested all of his retirement money in his sons who started the business.
TV appearance
His first TV experience was in the Discovery Channel series called “Dirty Jobs” with Mike Rowe in 2005: episode “Vexcon” in the first season and episode “Termite Controller” in the second season. In 2004, Pilgrim Film contacted the company and came up with the idea of shooting for the Discovery Channel, choosing “Vexcon” from 200 companies.
This is how Billy was noticed by the television producers.
In 2009, “The Exterminator” started, but the name was changed to during the first season “Billy the Exterminator”. Billy’s mother, Donnie, appeared as Vaxcon’s dispatcher, and other family members were part of the show as Vaxcon was a family business – even Ricky’s ex-wife appeared on the show. The series followed the brothers as they traveled around helping local exterminators.
In 2012, the show was canceled after six seasons, with no further explanation. However, Billy moved to Illinois and left the company for personal reasons, so his fans thought that’s why the series ended. Meanwhile, Donnie and Bill have retired and Ricky is now running the company. He also opened a YouTube channel in 2015 and started the series “Vexcon the Exterminators”, but it only published 17 episodes and did not attract many subscribers. In 2016, Corus Entertainment and Billy teamed up, and the “Billy Goes North” series started.
It first premiered in Canada and then continued in the US as the seventh season of “Billy the Exterminator”, but had only 12 episodes, filmed deep in the Canadian wilderness. Billy usually explains the environment in the episodes, provides information about the pests and diseases associated with the species. The fans appreciate that Billy used organic pesticides and natural methods to move animals during his work.
Private life
During the first show, in addition to Billy’s parents and his brother Ricky, the main cast also included his wife Mary.
They have a son, Bryce. She left the show in the early seasons, so divorce rumors started, but they were never confirmed. On the contrary, Billy said it was her decision to leave the show, and he just supported her. The married couple was arrested in 2012 for possession of marijuana, found in their room at the Louisiana Boardwalk hotel in Bossier City, as well as equipment for smoking it. Billy paid a $500 fine, did community service and also agreed to routine alcohol and drug testing. He pleaded guilty, but all charges against his wife were dropped.
Billy the Exterminator Helps New Mom with Wild Dog Problem in Season 7 Premiere@AETV #billytheexterminator https://t.co/hEyN53KBoa pic.twitter.com/BMGGuOgjmU
— Monsters and Critics (@monstersandcrit) April 5, 2017
Mary is not his first wife. While in the Air Force in the 1980s, Billy had a brief marriage, but he never commented on that information from his private life.
Net value
During his fame as a TV star, Billy had income from both the series and his business as an exterminator. His net worth was estimated to be over $500,000 at the time. Billy has not been in the limelight for the past few years, so his net worth as of early 2020 is unknown.
Interesting facts
- Billy has an interesting fashion style. He wears leather jackets, T-shirts with metal bands, cowboy hats and large silver jewelry. He is also recognizable by the sunglasses, but he wears them to shield his eyes from the camera light. The long hair is also Billy’s personal signature.
- He only cut his hair for the “Dirty Jobs” just because his mother insisted. But she couldn’t convince him to change the style and start wearing polo shirts.
- During his work, Billy was often stung by bees and wasps to which he turned out to be allergic. In the following years he overcame the allergies.
- The women caused too much drama, so Billy pushed them off the show. The first was his former sister-in-law Pam, Ricky’s ex-wife. Then his wife Mary. They left the show at the beginning, in the first season.
- However, his mother stayed. Donnie meddles in her sons’ lives and doesn’t hesitate to say she doesn’t approve of their choice of wives. There were reports that she was actually one of the reasons Pam and Ricky’s marriage didn’t work out.
- At the beginning of the series, he did not like the focus on his family relationships and private life, rather than his work in extermination. He changed that later in the seasons, but the episodes weren’t as intriguing as before.
- Billy doesn’t like crowds. He avoids attending concerts and events, especially since he became famous. He’s just not comfortable with so many people in one place.
- Two years before Billy and his wife were caught with marijuana, his brother Ricky was also charged with possession of marijuana when he was pulled over by police for a routine traffic stop. He was also fined for the traffic violation.
- Billy likes heavy metal music and is a fan of Black Sabbath and HIM.
- He hates fire ants, cockroaches and rats.
General information
| First and last name | Billy the exterminator |
Links to social profiles
Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | He and his family run a destruction company in Louisiana called Vexcon. |
Pictures
Movies
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincy Entertainment | 2011 | TV serials | Billy the Extermantor from A&E |
Yourself
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billy the exterminator | 2016 | TV serials | Himself – Host / Himself – Exterminator |
| Billy the exterminator | 2009-2012 | TV serials | Himself |
| Cincy Entertainment | 2011 | TV serials | Himself – Actor |
| Dirty jobs | 2005-2010 | TV serials | Himself |
| Lopez tonight | 2010 | TV serials | Himself |
