Jeanine Pirro's Fox News show did not appear at its usual time slot on Saturday night, raising questions about the anchor's current relationship with the prominent conservative network — and prompting President Donald Trump to jump into the fray.
A Fox representative told a rival news network that "we are not commenting on internal scheduling matters" when asked about Pirro's mysterious absence from the air, according to CNN. The decision to pull Pirro seems to have been planned, since her show wasn't listed on the weekend cable guide, the anchor has not tweeted anything since last weekend and there are no reports that she was scheduled to take a vacation. Perhaps most importantly, Fox had previously distanced itself from Pirro's controversial remarks.
"Think about this: She's not getting this anti-Israel sentiment doctrine from the Democrat Party. So if it's not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from?" Pirro said during an episode last Saturday discussing the controversy surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, according to USA Today.
She added, "Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won't get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?"
The following night, Fox News responded to Pirro's comments and the ensuing controversy by distancing itself from her opinions.
"We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly," Fox News said in a statement.
While it is unclear whether Pirro has been fired or suspended, Trump took to Twitter on Sunday morning to defend Pirro and urge Fox News to bring back her show.
"Bring back @JudgeJeanine Pirro," Trump wrote in the first of a series of tweets. "The Radical Left Democrats, working closely with their beloved partner, the Fake News Media, is using every trick in the book to SILENCE a majority of our Country. They have all out campaigns against @FoxNews hosts who are doing too well. Fox must stay strong and fight back with vigor. Stop working soooo hard on being politically correct, which will only bring you down, and continue to fight for our Country. The losers all want what you have, don’t give it to them. Be strong & prosper, be weak & die! Stay true to the people that got you there. Keep fighting for Tucker, and fight hard for @JudgeJeanine. Your competitors are jealous - they all want what you’ve got - NUMBER ONE. Don’t hand it to them on a silver platter. They can’t beat you, you can only beat yourselves!"
Trump's tweets also referenced Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, who has come under fire for a number of misogynistic comments he made while calling into a shock jock show, "Bubba the Love Sponge," earlier in his career.
Shares