Theo Wargo/Getty Images
At Fox News, the scandals never stop, and nor do the feuds among its biggest stars. Remember Megyn Kelly and Sean Hannity's 2016 spat over Donald Trump? Yeah, that happened, but they're all buddy-buddy now. But in 2024, rumors of another Hannity feud have surfaced, this time involving "The" Five co-host Dana Perino. Is it another installment of Fox's slate of star-on-star beef, or just another steaming pile of fake news? No shade intended.
Rumors of the Hannity and Perino feud started with a sketchy Facebook ad claiming Perino was leaving "The Five" to focus on her burgeoning CBD gummies empire. Not just any gummies, though — these were purportedly capable of "reversing dementia." The ad directed readers to a "Fox News" article, which claimed that Hannity was reportedly livid about Perino's new business venture, claiming it had a conflict with his show's sponsors. "Sean Hannity was outraged and expressed his intention to sue Dana Perino and Fox for violating his contract and allegedly driving away sponsors," the article noted. It even included so-called "quotes" of Perino supposedly firing back, accusing Hannity of smearing her name, and Hannity reportedly pressuring Fox to cut Perino loose and force her to issue an apology to the network.
Now, given Fox's track record of scandals, on-air sparring, and internal tension, this story sounds juicy enough to be true. But as it turns out, it's 100% fake. There's no CBD empire for Perino and no lawsuit threats for Hannity. There's no internal war at Fox, either, at least none involving both of them. The story, much like Perino's purported miracle gummies, holds no weight and was just fabricated for clickbait and good 'ol online hoax. Again, no shade intended.
Everything is good between Sean Hannity and Dana Perino after all
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
If you're looking for the culprit behind the rumored feud between Sean Hannity and Dana Perino, point your finger at Mark Zuckerberg — or at least Meta. The whole fiasco started thanks to a shady ad Meta had given the green light to, leading to the bogus article that sparked the drama. Neither Hannity nor Perino issued personal denials, but Fox News media relations manager Connor Smith was quick to put the rumors to rest. "I can confirm that this report is false," he told Lead Stories. Snopes fact-checked the claims, too, revealing they came from a scammy website notorious for peddling fake news. And besides, no gummy exists that can reverse dementia — or at least not at this time anyway.
As for Perino, she's got zero reason to feud with Hannity. In fact, she credits him with jump-starting her career at Fox News. When Perino left her role as White House Press Secretary, Fox wasn't exactly lining up to hire someone fresh out of the Bush administration. But Hannity? He apparently saw potential. "Sean said, 'Why don't you come up and be on my show?' What I didn't know is that here at Fox, he had suggested that they might want to consider me as a contributor," Perino shared in a "Ruthless Podcast" appearance. "Sean said, 'She's different; let me try.' ... I was so terrible at the beginning, and shy, worried. I didn't want to give my opinion. ... And to Sean's credit, he kept up with it. He always had my back." Perino found her footing, eventually climbing the ranks to co-host "The Five," and the rest, as they say, is history.