Fox News Stars Ainsley Earhardt And Sean Hannity's Scandalous Relationship Timeline

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It's unclear when Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt's relationship started, but what is clear is that they proved to be masters at keeping the news away from the public. Even though speculation didn't hit the rumor mill until mid-2020, their romance was an open secret among their Fox colleagues for at least a year — or even longer, depending on the insider you ask. But Hannity and Earhardt denied any involvement at the time. In fact, Hannity was thought to still be married to his first wife when he got together with Earhardt.

When the relationship rumors became public, "The Sean Hannity Show" host announced he had been divorced for over a year and separated for many more. Earhardt went through her second divorce just a few months before Hannity. She continued to claim to be single and have all her focus on her daughter and other family circumstances. Despite their continued denials, Earhardt reportedly spent the COVID-19 lockdown cozying up with Hannity at his Long Island mansion while simultaneously using his home studio to host "Fox & Friends" during the remote shooting months.

But it wasn't until the spring of 2023 that evidence of a well-established relationship between Hannity and Earhardt came to light, making it impossible for them to maintain their denial. And they reportedly plan to keep going strong amid Hannity's decision to move across the country. Hannity and Earhardt may not discuss their relationship publicly, but enough evidence has surfaced to paint a pretty decent picture.

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In 1993, Sean Hannity married Jill Rhodes, with whom he welcomed two children. As far as the public knew, that was still his reality when he showed up arm-in-arm with the "Fox & Friends" host at Pete Hegseth's wedding to Jennifer Rauchet in August 2019. "Hannity emerged from the chopper with Ainsley Earhardt, and they made this grand entrance together," a former Fox executive told Vanity Fair in June 2020, when rumors of their relationship began making the rounds. "People were like, Wow, okay."

According to other Fox sources, Hannity and Earhardt weren't exactly hiding their relationship, though they weren't being forthcoming about it either. "I knew they were involved. I saw it when we were all together," one insider said. The issue of Hannity's wife was the big elephant in the room. Where was Rhodes? It turned out Hannity was secretly divorced when his romance with Earhardt began.

Hannity and Rhodes divorced in early 2019 before he started showing up with Earhardt in his social circles. But he didn't make the divorce public until June 2020, coinciding with the news of him and Earhardt leaking. "Sean and Jill are committed to working together for the best interests of their children," their announcement read (via People). Hannity also revealed they had been separated for quite a while. "Amicable agreements were entered into over four years ago," they shared.

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Despite the accounts of their Fox colleagues, Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt denied their relationship when it surfaced in 2020. Hannity opted to go the no-comment route. "I do not discuss my personal life in public," his representative told Vanity Fair. Earhardt, on the other hand, had a lot more to say. "As anyone at Fox News will tell you, Sean is a wonderful person and whomever he chooses to date will be extremely fortunate," she told the outlet via a spokesperson before adding in a follow-up statement, "I am not dating anyone."

She highlighted that her focus was on being a good mother. "Right now I am focused on raising my daughter," she said. At the time, Earhardt had just finalized her divorce from Will Proctor months earlier. Regardless of their denial, sources continued to maintain they had been in a relationship for a lot longer than their colleagues were letting on. "[They have] been seeing each other very secretively for years," an insider told People in June 2020.

What exactly the source meant by years is unclear, but Earhardt was a married woman in 2018, as Proctor didn't file for divorce until that October. And according to the source, it was Hannity who wanted to keep the relationship away from the spotlight. "He's very private because he's very famous and he's very controversial," the insider said.

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When the COVID-19 pandemic forced TV shows into a remote format, Ainsley Earhardt relied heavily on Sean Hannity to make "Fox & Friends" happen. Unbeknownst to her audience, Earhardt reportedly shot her segments from the basement of Sean Hannity's Long Island home, a Fox employee told Vanity Fair. She was also reportedly using his lawyer as her agent. Rumors about their arrangement surfaced when Earhardt rented a home in the Hamptons during lockdown, not far from his mansion.

Despite having a rental, Earhardt was said to have spent most of the lockdown hunkered down with Hannity. "They have been quarantining together in Oyster Bay," a source told Page Six in June 2020, referring to the location of his home. "They have been seen together in the area." To those familiar with the situation, it was clear that Hannity and Earhardt's arrangement went beyond the professional realm. "They are 100 percent dating," the insider said.

A few months earlier, Earhardt continued to imply she had no time for a new relationship. In addition to raising Hayden, she was also busy tending to her mother, who had suffered a stroke in February 2018. "In many ways my personal life is kind of on hold," she told People in October 2019. But she was hopeful of finding a good relationship in the future. "I would love to find love again and I want to demonstrate a loving relationship for Hayden one day," she added.

By 2023, Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt had quit trying to hide their relationship. That February, they were seen acting very much like a family at The Colony Palm Beach Hotel. Earhardt's daughter, Hayden, even received a lesson in frugality from Hannity, showing he felt comfortable around the little girl. "Hannity and Ainsley were waiting for Hayden who had her eye on something in the lobby gift shop," a source told the Daily Mail in April 2023. "She kept saying, 'I want one of these.'"

But Hannity stepped in to prevent Hayden from wasting money on unneeded items. "In true daddy fashion Hannity told her, 'You have that at home.' After going back and forth for a bit, Hayden finally relented and the three left the hotel," the insider recalled. The outlet also got hold of other personal photos that illustrate a pretty established relationship between Hannity and Earhardt. In one, the two smiled big as she hugged his arm while leaning closely into his shoulder.

In another, Earhardt hugged him from behind while making a goofy face as Hannity held corn on the cob at Long Island's 2022 Oyster Fest. "They started out as best friends and the relationship evolved over time," the source said. At that point, they weren't trying to hide their relationship but still preferred to keep it to themselves. "They're very private people and prefer to keep their personal life private and lowkey."

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In January 2024, Sean Hannity announced he had left New York behind. In a move that surprised no one, Hannity announced a major life change straight from Donald Trump's playbook and made Palm Beach his new home. "I've been threatening now to do this for quite a while," he said on his show (via The Guardian). "But we are now beginning our first broadcast from my new home and that is in the free state of Florida." Ainsley Earhardt, however, stayed put as "Fox & Friends" shoots in New York.

His decision may make their relationship a bit harder, but she's committed to flying out on as many weekends as possible to spend time in Hannity's new $5.3 million townhouse. "Ainsley is envisioning their romantic reunions when she arrives on the West Palm Beach airport asphalt every weekend they can spare," a source told the Daily Mail. In a way, his new location won't change much about the relationship dynamics.

Earhardt and Hannity work opposite schedules that only allow them to see each other on the weekends anyway. "The only difference now is that they will be traveling by plane instead of a car back and forth to Long Island," an insider added. They're used to making it work, after all.  "Those two have always been in it for the long haul since they fell in love — only now the haul will be a bit longer," the friend noted.