Fox News Stars With The Most Scandalous Love Lives

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Jesse Watters and Emma DiGiovine posing

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The following contains mention of sexual assault.

Fox News is known for dishing out salacious stories, but the network's stars have been caught in some spicy scandals themselves. Like actors who fall in love on set, news reporters frequently work in close quarters and even travel together, so it's not surprising when colleagues hook up. Workmances can even become a sweet meet-cute story, but when the couple in question attempts to deny romance rumors, the affair gets blown out of proportion and becomes quite the tea.

Just like Fox Sports anchors who found themselves in messy scandals, there are stars on the news side who have been in some sticky situations. Unfortunately for them, secrets have a way of coming out in the open, and their past misconducts got them into trouble with the network. Whether they were accused of cheating or tried to hide their romance from the public, these Fox News names have been attached to some pretty scandalous love stories.

Pete Hegseth admitted to paying off a woman amid sexual assault allegations

Pete Hegseth wearing a blue suit

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Former Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth, who has now been appointed Secretary of Defense, has had many scandals attached to his name over the years. In 2017, a woman accused him of sexual assault, but Pete was cleared of any wrongdoing by the police, per NPR. He paid off the unnamed woman to keep her from suing him, and according to AP, the amount was revealed to be $50,000. His former sister-in-law also accused him of being abusive to his second ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, which he denied.

During Pete's confirmation hearing before the Senate on January 14, his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, whom he had had an affair with while married to Samantha, looked on as he was questioned about his past, the Daily Mail reported. Senator Tim Kaine referred to the SA allegations from 2017 and asked Pete, "You cheated on the mother of that child less than two months after that daughter was born, didn't you?" The former vet argued that there were no charges filed against him and replied that he wasn't "perfect." Despite Pete's shady past, he was made SoD, but that car ride home with Rauchet was probably very awkward.

Ainsley Earhardt's second divorce was over affair allegations

Ainsley Earhardt in a green dress

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After her divorce from her first husband, Kevin McKinney, Ainsley Earhardt found love again with former football player William Proctor. The two welcomed their daughter, Hayden Dubose Proctor, in 2015 after a painful fertility journey. Unfortunately, a cheating scandal soon rocked their marriage. As reported by Page Six, Proctor filed for divorce in 2018 after Earhardt learned of his alleged extramarital affair. A source revealed to The Post, "Proctor was unfaithful with one of [Earhardt's] closest friends a few years ago and there is evidence to prove it."

Amid the accusation, Proctor maintained he was innocent and told the Daily Mail, "There is not one ounce of truth to the allegation that I had an affair." He continued, "I am devastated about this situation and did not envision this for the future of our family. I remain focused on and committed to being the best dad, and maintaining a friendship with my wife even though she has decided to move on."

Sean Hannity tried to keep his romance with Ainsley Earhardt a secret

Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt smiling

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After her divorce from William Proctor, Ainsley Earhardt moved on with her fellow Fox News colleague Sean Hannity, but they kept their relationship super hush-hush for a long time before going public. In 2020, Vanity Fair outed the two television hosts as a couple when they quoted a source who stated that they arrived together at Pete Hegseth's wedding in style. "Hannity emerged from the chopper with Ainsley Earhardt, and they made this grand entrance together. People were like, Wow, okay," the insider shared.

Another source told People that Earhardt and Hannity had been dating for years — even though Hannity didn't divorce his now-ex-wife until 2019 (only one year before that wedding sighting). "He's very private because he's very famous and he's very controversial but it's been an open secret that they have been seeing each other," said the insider. After being spotted together in public for years, they finally addressed their relationship when they got engaged in December 2024. "We are overjoyed and so thankful to our families for all of their love and support during this wonderful time in our lives," the newly-betrothed couple stated, per Fox 6.

Ed Henry had an affair with a stripper

Ed Henry in a blue jacket

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In 2016, former "America's Newsroom" host Ed Henry was caught with his pants down while married to his then-wife, Shirley Hung. As reported by In Touch, the Fox News personality was revealed to have been in a sexual relationship with a Las Vegas woman named Natalia Lima for almost a year. "Whenever he was in town, we would pretty much just have sex. He has a really high sex drive," she divulged. According to the Daily Mail, Lima was paid $2,000 to dance for Henry. A fellow stripper who worked at the Sapphire club with Lima told the publication, "She was in there talking to one of her friends, she was telling her how she had this guy who was in politics, something connected to the White House, and said she was having an affair with him." The dancer added that Lima didn't know Henry was married and that when she found out, she threatened to out him.

Things got worse for Henry in 2020 when he was named in a lawsuit for allegedly raping and harassing former Fox employee Jennifer Eckhart and journalist Cathy Areu, respectively, per CNN. Henry's lawyer claimed the relationships were consensual and stated, "The Me Too movement has helped to bring to light a number of injustices in our society, and everyone that has suffered deserves to be heard. This is not one of those cases." Henry had been fired by Fox prior to the lawsuit over other sexual misconduct allegations. Areu's lawsuit was dismissed in 2021, and as of January 2025, Eckhart's case was still ongoing.

Henry later worked as a host for Real America's Voice, where a female staffer accused him of sending her lewd messages, per a 2024 Mediaite report. She also claimed Henry cheated on his wife with his ex-co-host, Karyn Turk, which Turk denied. 

Jesse Watters began his relationship with Emma DiGiovine while still married to his then-wife

Jesse Watters and Emma DiGiovine under an umbrella

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"The Five" co-host Jesse Watters found himself caught up in a messy divorce after he cheated on his then-wife, Noelle Watters, with a much younger producer at the network named Emma DiGiovine, the Daily News reported in 2018. After Noelle filed for divorce, Jesse told the network about his affair with DiGiovine, and she was subsequently transferred to another show. According to sources, the clandestine relationship began in 2017, and they didn't even bother hiding it when they posted pictures together on social media.

Jesse and Noelle finalized their divorce in 2019, and the Fox News commentator married DiGiovine early in 2020. "I'm Watters and this is my wife #loveyou," he shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. "What happened to the previous wife? Oh, you left her for your junior producer," a critic replied. Another made a reference to the couple's 14-year age gap and quipped, "You already have two children!"

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

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