Fox News Anchors Whose Marriages Sadly Didn't Last
Fox News prides itself on being a defender of "traditional" family values, championing the structure, beliefs, and roles that comprise the concept. Still, when it comes to living the traditional family values ideal, many Fox News anchors talk the talk but fail to walk the walk, as evidenced by the number of marriages that have ended in divorce.
All Sides defines the traditional family as "one man and one woman connected by lifelong, monogamous marriage, together with the children of this couple." Fox News' leading lights bristle at any deviation from the marital model. After President Biden signed federal protection for married same-sex couples into law in December 2022, Fox News anchors were up in arms. Laura Ingraham claimed the "Respect for Marriage Act" restricted her constitutional rights. "Whether you're Catholic, or Evangelical or even Muslim... any serious person of faith, you will not necessarily have the right tomorrow that you had yesterday," she charged, insisting the legislation destroys "the primacy of the nuclear family."
The nuclear family is central to Fox News' rhetoric. "The media are working overtime to get you wound up about nonsense," Ingraham decreed in January 2023, without even a hint of irony. Ingraham, who's unmarried, would do well to preach to the choir. That way, her fellow Fox News anchors' divorce rate may decrease.
Julie Banderas' on air shocker
Julie Banderas had a very special Valentine's Day gift for Andrew Sansone, her husband of 13 years and father of her three children. No trip to See's Candy was necessary to facilitate Banderas' love day surprise; she just needed a camera and a live feed. "F**k Valentine's Day," Banderas declared during an appearance on the Fox News comedy panel show "Gutfeld" in February 2023. "It's stupid. I mean, even when I was married, I didn't get s**t," she continued.
"I'm getting a divorce," Banderas announced. "I am going to say it right here for the first time. Thank you everyone. Congratulations are in order. That was breaking news." Banderas had teased her big reveal earlier in the day in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. "Tune into @Gutfeldfox tonight at 11pm ET. I have a little announcement at the end of the show. (During the Valentine's Day segment ironically)," she captioned a selfie.
Although the message's mode of delivery left many surprised, few were shocked by its content. Banderas and Sansone's marriage had become ever increasingly toxic. A police report obtained by the Daily Mail revealed that Sansone had been arrested two months before the divorce decree for allegedly threatening Banderas with a steak knife. The estranged couple was reportedly arguing that day over Sansone's decision to pursue full custody of their kids in addition to spousal support from Banderas. A judge granted a restraining order against Sansone.
Sean Hannity's amicable ending
The public is firmly divided over Sean Hannity, much like they are over the anchor's long-time idol, Donald Trump. Hannity consistently draws the ratings, however. His show was reportedly watched nightly by an average of 2.36 million viewers in 2023. Hannity's ex-wife, Jill Rhodes, undoubtedly avoids tuning in, though.
Hannity and Rhodes' marriage ended with a fizzle. He announced they were divorcing in June 2020. However, a source told Page Six that the couple had ended their two-decade-long marriage in early 2019. "Sean and Jill remain on very good terms and still have family dinners and attend tennis tournaments for their children. Sean is still close with members of Jill's family," they said, insisting there was no third party involved in the split. Hannity's camp persisted in the latter claim, especially after news broke of Hannity's relationship with fellow Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt. Team Hannity insisted it was his work commitments and not his work dalliance that led to his divorce. "Sean does three hours of radio each day in the city followed by TV in primetime; his workload created a lot of time away, and it was tough on the marriage," a source told the Daily Mail.
The National Enquirer claimed Hannity and Rhodes had agreed on a financial settlement in 2019. They praised the couple's ability to strike a deal out of court, claiming it helped Hannity "keep his $250 million fortune out of the hands of greedy lawyers!"
Bill O'Reilly's lengthy and litigious headache
Bill O'Reilly's divorce was as fury-filled and charged as the former Fox anchor's on-air rhetoric. O'Reilly and his wife of 15 years, Maureen McPhilmy, hammered out a financial settlement in 2011. However, O'Reilly later sued for $10 million, alleging he'd been tricked into signing a bum deal. O'Reilly's legal maneuver started a knock-down, drag-out court battle. Documents reportedly showed that McPhilmy was ordered to pay her ex-husband $14.5 million in 2016 after failing to respond to a court subpoena. However, a different judge later overturned the ruling. O'Reilly clapped back by filing suit against McPhilmy and her attorney, Michael Klar.
Meanwhile, O'Reilly was fire-fighting another legal headache at the same time. The grand damme of sensationalist and angry news, who was the King of Fox primetime for more than two decades, was unceremoniously dumped from the anchor chair in 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple Fox News co-workers.
A New York Times report revealed O'Reilly doled out $32 million to a longtime network analyst in January 2016 after she accused him of harassment, sexual assault, and sending unsolicited sexually explicit material to her. O'Reilly had allegedly previously settled with at least six other women. Despite embarking on a public crusade to clean up Fox News at the time, the network stood firmly by O'Reilly's side — initially at least. Fox was finally forced to axe O'Reilly as controversy grew and advertisers began boycotting his show.
Jeanine Pirro's scandal plagued partnership
Judge Jeanine Pirro split from her husband, Albert Pirro Jr., in 2007, but it took until 2013 for their divorce to be finalized. The former Westchester, New York, district attorney stood by her man's side during numerous embarrassing scandals, including allegations of mob ties, a federal jail sentence for tax fraud, admission to fathering a child with another woman, and publicly whining that she wasn't paying him enough attention.
The couple's marriage woes contributed to Pirro losing her bid to become state attorney general, especially after news broke she was under federal investigation for planning to spy on her husband by wiretapping his boat. Jeanine had clung to the failing marriage for as long as possible and had no regrets. "I never look back. You make your choices in life and accept them," she told The New York Daily News in 2006.
Jeanine is one of Trump's favorite Fox anchors, regularly fangirling over 45. So, when Albert Jr. received a pardon from Donald Trump in January 2021, it was believed to be down to his ex-wife. "I'm in shock. I went to bed last night having read the list assuming I wasn't getting a pardon," Albert Jr. told The Daily Beast. "It certainly is a nice act on the part of the president. It has been 20 years since I served my time, and it allows me to engage again in public companies, which I haven't been able to do previously."
Ainsley Earhardt's messy divorce drama
Ainsley Earhardt's divorce from her husband of six years, Will Proctor, was messy. The couple announced their separation in 2018 amid allegations that he'd cheated. "Proctor was unfaithful with one of her closest friends a few years ago, and there is evidence to prove it," a source told the New York Post. Still, he denied doing the dirty and claimed to be heartbroken over the split. "I am devastated about this situation and did not envision this for the future of our family," Proctor said, insisting there was "not one ounce of truth" to the affair accusations.
The couple worked through their differences and came out the other side of divorce committed to co-parenting their daughter, Hayden. "We honestly wish each other nothing but the best, and we will remain friends for the rest of our lives because we share this precious, beautiful daughter together. She is our top priority," Earnhardt told People in October 2019. "She is the light of my life."
Meanwhile, the divorcée moved on with her fellow Fox News anchor, Sean Hannity. The coworkers denied rumors of a romance for three years. However, after The Daily Mail obtained photos of the two playing happy families with Hayden in April 2023, they were forced to come clean. "They are extremely happy together and have been for a while. It's not a surprise to anyone who knows them," a source said.
Jesse Watters' workplace sleeze love match
Jesse and Noelle Watters' marriage of ten years was blown to smithereens in October 2017 after he admitted to having an affair with 25-year-old junior employee Emma DiGiovine, who worked on the show "Watters World." The outspoken anchor has a habit of bringing his love life to work. Jesse met Noelle at Fox Studios in 2009 while she was working in the advertising department.
When news of the affair became public, DiGiovine was transferred to work on Laura Ingraham's show. A source told The Daily News that Fox's handling of the affair proved the network had learned lessons from previous scandals. "To me, that's better than the coverups when Ailes and O'Reilly were around," the source said of the decision to transfer DiGiovine.
Just months after Jesse's divorce was finalized, the couple married. "I'm Watters, and this is my wife #loveyou," he captioned a pic of the happy couple in January 2020. Watters came under fire in April 2020 after admitting to employing highly questionable tactics to bag his second wife while they were still married to their previous spouses. "When I was trying to get Emma to date me, the first thing I did was to let the air out of her tires," Jesse admitted on air. "She couldn't go anywhere; she needed a lift. I said, 'Hey, need a lift?' She jumped right in the car!"