Text Messages Unveil Tensions Between Jeanine Pirro and Fox Host
Newly unredacted court documents have exposed a rift between Jeanine Pirro and fellow Fox host Sean Hannity, shedding light on their interactions during her tenure at the network.
Text messages from Pirro, who now serves as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, characterize Hannity as an “egomaniac.” In a message dated October 27, 2020, she described a meeting with Donald Trump and Hannity in the Oval Office, noting Hannity's brash entrance: “He storms in like he owns the place, throws his papers on the Pres desk and says, you don’t mind if I use your private bathroom, and walks into bathroom within Oval and uses it. Looks at me and says, I got to talk to him.”
“It’s all abt him, period. No one else matters,” Pirro added, highlighting her frustrations with Hannity's demeanor.
Pirro departed from Fox News in May to assume her new role in the Trump administration. The documents were made public as part of Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News, originally filed in April. A recent ruling allowed for the release of previously redacted information.
These documents also suggest that Pirro was dedicated to supporting Trump, which allegedly conflicted with the network’s policies regarding political involvement by on-air personalities. In a text to Ronna McDaniel, then-chairman of the Republican National Committee, she stated, “I work so hard for the party across the country. I’m the Number 1 watched show on all news cable all weekend. I work so hard for the President and party.”
Smartmatic faced accusations of voter fraud following the 2020 election from Trump’s inner circle, including Rudy Giuliani. Fox News hosts, including Pirro and Maria Bartiromo, discussed these claims on air and were named in Smartmatic’s lawsuit.
Fox News sought dismissal from the lawsuit earlier this year and filed a motion for summary judgment, denying any defamation against Smartmatic. The network contends that its hosts were merely reporting on claims made by Trump’s allies without endorsing them. Although Pirro was dismissed from the lawsuit in 2021, she acknowledged in a deposition that the 2020 election was “fair and free” and that Joe Biden was legitimately elected.
Despite her removal from the suit, Smartmatic included communications involving Pirro to support its claim that hosts were eager to maintain favorable relations with Trump. The company alleged that Pirro aimed to gain favor with Trump to secure a pardon for her ex-husband, Albert Pirro. Notably, she was the last person Trump pardoned during his first term.
Other messages reveal Pirro's discontent with censorship at Fox. After one episode of her show, Justice with Judge Jeanine, was not aired due to warnings about election fraud claims, she expressed frustration to Hannity: “I’M TIRED OF THE CENSORSHIP AND I’M EMBARRASSED BY HOW THEY CALLED THIS ELECTION.”
Pirro later informed Hannity about her demands to management after the episode was scrapped. His response suggested a different perspective: “Fox News promoting u every 5 seconds. It’s hilarious,” implying that the network was attempting to smooth over their relationship.
Following the 2020 election results, Maria Bartiromo texted Rudy Giuliani expressing her desire to “overturn this,” allowing unchallenged claims of voter fraud to air on her program. Bartiromo defended her coverage, stating, “I think Fox did an excellent job of reporting on what was going on at the time,” and expressed pride in her work.
Anchor Bret Baier had previously warned a Fox executive about Bartiromo’s coverage, stating, “None of this is true as far as we can tell. We need to fact-check this crap.”
Meanwhile, Jesse Watters testified that he found no evidence of voter fraud using Smartmatic’s technology but remarked to Greg Gutfeld in December 2020, “Think about how incredible our ratings would be if Fox went ALL in on STOP THE STEAL.”
In response to the lawsuit, Fox News stated that evidence shows Smartmatic’s business suffered long before any claims made by Trump’s lawyers on their network and accused Smartmatic of inflating damage claims for publicity. The network expressed readiness to defend its press freedoms following recent indictments of Smartmatic executives for bribery.
An email sent to Pirro’s office seeking comment went unanswered.
