The Shady Side Of Fox News Host Harris Faulkner

Harris Faulkner has made a name for herself as an ultra-conservative Christian television host, but it's not exactly a secret that her employer, Fox News, has a history of hiring ill-behaved news anchors. Faulkner is among the network's stars who have faced scrutiny for some of their actions, even though she's tried to convince viewers that she's just someone who cares deeply about honesty and her career.

In 2022, Faulkner even published a book titled "Faith Still Moves Mountains: Miraculous Stories of the Healing Power of Prayer." During an interview with the Christian Post, Faulkner said, "God has given me what I have coined — a divine assignment. He has called me to be a witness and to disseminate information truthfully from what I see and further question or investigate."

Sadly, her life hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine. There are some rather tragic details about Faulkner's life. And unfortunately, there have been a few times when Faulkner has been caught being a tad bit shady, too. 

Where were you when you found out that Harris Faulkner once found herself in a legal battle over a hamster? Back in 2015, Faulkner caught wind that the famous Hasbro toy company was peddling a one-inch-tall plastic toy hamster named — you guessed it — Harris Faulkner. Suffice it to say Faulkner was not flattered. According to NBC News, she immediately filed a suit against Hasbro Inc., citing that the company "willfully and wrongfully appropriated Faulkner's unique and valuable name and distinctive persona for its own financial gain." The kicker? She wanted Hasbro to cough up $5 million to cover the damages she claims she suffered as a result of the doe-eyed hamster doing business with her first and last name. Cha-ching! 

While Hasbro initially put up a fight, maintaining in court docs that "a side-by-side comparison of Ms. Faulkner and the Hamster Toy shows that the two bear absolutely no resemblance" (via NBC News) and requesting that the judge dismiss the suit entirely, the company did stop selling the toy in question. Unfortunately for Hasbro, the judge presiding over the case denied its request. In the end, Faulkner took on a huge company and won — well, sort of. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Hasbro ended up settling with Faulkner in October 2016 for an undisclosed amount, so it's a mystery just how much moolah she scored in the legal battle. 

Harris Faulkner hit the ground running on June 5, 2023, during her first of five nights serving as guest host on "Fox News Tonight." Right out of the gate, she launched into a lengthy monologue wherein she claimed that she had been kicked out of a restaurant for praying over her meal. "We are the greatest nation on earth," she began. "Right now, we need to remind some folk that we belong in our divinely given place at the top. We didn't just stumble here. We are a nation under God." 

She then issued a call to action, urging fellow Christians to "be bold in our faith right now." She continued, "When you gather in public spaces, pray thankfully over your food. Even when the server gives you the stink-eye, or tells a manager that your peaceful grace is triggering them." And that's when she threw the hammer down, claiming that after bowing her head to pray, she was asked to leave the restaurant. "It's all good. They don't deserve my money anyway," she quipped.

As one can imagine, many had questions following her on-air revelation. "We need the name of this restaurant and when it happened. If true that's awful. IF it's not true... which seems most likely the case... then there needs to be accountability ," former congressman Adam Kinzinger tweeted in part. Meanwhile, another X user wrote, "And yet Harris Faulkner 'newswoman' has absolutely no video or audio of this and somehow isn't referencing the alleged restaurant. Please." It also should be noted that Fox News just so happened to be looking for a replacement for Tucker Carlson when Faulkner shared her story.

It's no secret that Harris Faulkner was not a fan of the COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. Alas, in June 2023, she took that stance a step too far while filling in as a guest host on "Fox News Tonight" in June 2023. While railing against what she perceived as "dangerously bad decisions" regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, she claimed that during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, schools never closed. "We didn't even have penicillin back then," she added. "We did sacrifice. We suffered, but then we pressed on. Our enemies hate us for surviving, but they would love to be like us."

As one can imagine, shortly after Faulkner uttered the disinformation, many quickly jumped at the chance to correct her. "This is blatantly untrue and takes about 3 seconds to fact check," one X user declared. Even the Daily Beast joined the group chat with a post that read, "Harris Faulkner gave her primetime Fox audience Tuesday some revisionist history regarding the 1918-19 influenza pandemic when trying to make a point about school closures due to COVID-19." 

Following the show, Faulkner worked overtime to clarify the fictitious on-air remark, ultimately admitting that some schools did, in fact, close during the Spanish flu. "First Wave mass school closures for COVID were what made it different and epic from the Spanish Flu pandemic. Also, the opposite of COVID happened — nation's biggest school district New York City Stayed Open (along with Chicago schools)," she tweeted in response.