A new Vanity Fair analysis behind the scenes of Fox News reveals an interesting new piece of information: longtime Fox megastar conservative commentator Sean Hannity has told friends that he plans to leave the network after his current contract expires in 2021.
According to sources, Hannity is angry at the Murdochs, the powerful conservative family that owns the network, believing they are insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump and secretly out to get him. He has been angry ever since the network ousted former Fox CEO Roger Ailes, who was accused of sexual harassment by multiple employees, and co-president Bill Shine, who served a brief stint in the White House after his departure.
“Sean doesn’t feel supported,” one Fox news staffersaid. “He has no relationship with Lachlan [Murdoch]. Sean thinks, Wait a second, I was hired to get ratings and I get ratings, but now people are embarrassed about me? He feels Fox spends a lot of time supporting Shepard Smith but his show makes no money. That’s annoying to him.”
Another source claimed that Hannity even “told Trump last year that the Murdochs hate Trump, and Hannity is the only one holding Fox together.”
Hannity’s discontent underscores a growing problem for Fox News’ owners: they are stuck between trying to please President Donald Trump and trying not to alienate mainstream corporate advertisers, who have increasingly denounced the most inflammatory rhetoric from personalities like Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Tucker Carlson.
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from billionaires and corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.
We need your support to deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.
We need your support to keep producing quality journalism and deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.
Report typos and corrections to:
[email protected].