After weeks of speculation, Fox News officially announced today that Trump’s former press secretary, professional liar Kayleigh McEnany, has been hired by the network as a contributor.
“It is my distinct pleasure today to welcome Kayleigh McEnany to the Fox family,” anchor Harris Faulkner announced this morning. “We will be seeing much more of her in the future.”
Cue the collective eye roll.
But McEnany is not exactly being met with open arms by her new colleagues. In fact, many at the network are pissed that she’s been added to the roster when countless other reporters and contributors have been laid off amid steadily declining ratings.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Last month, Fox News finished third in the ratings war for the first time in 20 years, losing approximately 30% of its viewers and putting it squarely behind both MSNBC, which saw a 23% rise in viewership, and CNN, which saw a 61% rise in viewership.
The Daily Beast spoke to several Fox News insiders who expressed outright distain for McEnany.
“It’s truly disgusting they fired hard-working journalists who did care about facts and news reporting only to turn around and hire a mini-Goebbels whose incessant lies from the White House helped incite an insurrection on our democracy that got five people killed, including a police officer,” one insider said.
Another insider called McEnany being hired “upsetting,” saying, “So many good people are out of a job now and I’m sure she’ll get a huge contract.”
And another added, “It bothers me in that it is basically a slap in the face to the hardworking journalists that value real news and facts. But it also doesn’t surprise me because they have shown that they don’t give a damn about facts and real news.”
Prior to Faulkner announcing McEnany would be joining the “Fox family,” she interviewed her about her time at the White House.
During their chat, McEnany said she was “proud of my legacy as press secretary” but complained about how the deadly insurrection her ex-boss cited spoiled her plans to throw a big going away press event.
“I wanted to do a press briefing on the way out about all the great achievements of this administration, and all the good that I felt that the president had done,” McEnany said. “We didn’t get the opportunity to do that because, obviously, January 6th, it just was something that was not tenable.”
She described the final days of Donald Trump‘s one-term presidency as “sad.”
“We were packing boxes, and we were sad that this was one of the last events that happened on the way out the door,” she recalled. “I wish we could have had the opportunity to have that legacy press briefing, as it was, but it was a somber time.”
That’s right, folx. Five people died during an insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and Kayleigh McEnany was “sad” because she couldn’t have one more chance to sling mud at reporters from the podium.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Monkey1
I might not like her politics but I did like watching her press briefings. I know people made fun of her binder but she had facts at her fingertips because of it. The new press secretary is terrible. She’s dismissive of many questions, often times doesn’t have the facts and has to “circle back” to a particular reporter… and I wonder if she actually ever does.
Cam
The right wing troll account comes on to defend a proven liar who supported an anti-LGBTQ administration and try to deflect by attacking the new press secretary who is back to having press breifings.
Sweetie, again, time to retire all of your screenames and send some other right wing troll in here to try this. You’re act is boring and tired.
Thad
Funny. Actual journalists who attend White House press conferences much prefer Jen Psaki’s style and honesty.
Mr. Stadnick
How can any sane person defend her? She is a liar and a hate filled enabler of the modern Nazi/GOP. I wish on her a rash that never heals.
BoomerMyles
Hey Monkey1, stop gaslighting us you white supremacist supporter.
CaseyBlackCAUSA
#JesusTakeHisWheel
Monkey1
Hi Thad. Psaki’s style is lazy and she is not honest when she doesn’t answer the questions. “I’ll circle back to you” isn’t an answer. FIgures those without a valid argument choose to name call.
JoshGL
So let’s have three examples of instances where Psaki failed to get back to a reporter for a serious question.
We need to track these, Monkey1.
In the meantime, I promise to respond with three of Kayleigh’s lies.
Waiting….
Bengali
How many names do you go by now? I think I’ve lost count. How many times did Sarah Sasquatch refuse to answer questions or tell reporters to contact White House communications to get an answer. Dumb bi*ch forgot she was press secretary. i guess foraging for small animals to snack on took a lot of energy away from poor Sarah. And girl – she’s put on some weight. And while KY Maganothing is nicer to look at (at least I don’t always feel like scratching myself like i did with Sasquatch) she’s a filthy from the inside out as nearly anything that worked alongside the Trump White House and followed Trump to Florida to keep his anus clean. Raise your standards and stop embarrassing yourself and your family.
LumpyPillows
@Monkey1 I suggest you find some quiet time and reflect on how you could be so very, very wrong.
phillycap
You would fit in right at Fox, because you’re lying. Anyone who has spent one minute at the new press briefing would know this is a woman who knows her stuff, knows her facts, and treats the white house press corps like the professionals they aspire to be. I don’t know what you are watching or what mood altering shit you are taking, but you’re lying.
Monkey1
Josh, that’s the beauty of the “circle back” answer, it makes it nearly impossible to prove unless each reporter came out and tattled on her. But if you read my post I’m not sure she doesn’t, I just questioned if she really did. Either way she uses it A LOT and it’s almost always the same way, she’ll lightly praise the reporter for raising such a substansive question then say she’ll need to “circle back.” This leaves the reporter feeling like they asked a great question, meanwhile it’s just a topic Psaki doesn’t want to deal with at the time, probably because she doesn’t know the answer.
Bengali, I agree that Sarah was a terrible press secretary, I’m just talking about Kayleigh here. You seem so angry, no need for that, it’s just people stating different opinions here.
Cam
@Monkey1
The right wing troll account desperately trying to deflect from proven liar Kayleigh, and the fact that media prefers Psaki.
We get it, you only defend right wing bigots.
sadiedog63
Who the hell are you talking about? That little charlatan never held a press meeting. She’s a liar, a cheater, a thief and a dam criminal. But it figures a right wing nut job like you would like that type of person. You’re all the same, lying, cheating, thieving predaphiles. Oh I’d sure like to know what “accomplishments ” that orange turd did during his disastrous time in office. What a looney tune you are.
cuteguy
Wait, she was hired by Faux News?! Shocker!!! Insert eye roll here. This news is as shocking as saying that MyPillow hires only from the KKK and Q’anon White supremacy groups.
Heywood Jablowme
hmmmm… Compare this photo of McInanity with the nearby Queerty photo of Madison Cawthorn. They both look like they’re made of wax. Like they escaped from Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in London – are they missing from there?
Monkey1
Loook at pix of Mark Zuckerberg & Psaki. Twins.
Cam
@Monkey1
Your right wing desperation is showing.
LumpyPillows
Seriously? I watched this woman talk as press secretary and found her to be completely immoral and a habitual liar and manipulator every time she spoke. Fox News knew what they were hiring and that is what they got. I’m at a bit of a loss about this article, because she joins a whole slew of similar people at Fox, so how are they offended by this nasty piece of work and not them?
Kangol2
She was and is a liar and walking embarrassment. I’m glad some of her FauxNews colleagues are up in arms about the station hiring her, though given how regularly that station debases itself, her utter lack of credibility hardly makes things worse there.
sadiedog63
She looks like an old nasty street corner hustler, fits right in at faux “news”.
Cam
Fox’s ratings are down 30%, they lost the ratings race to MSNBC and CNN and they can’t figure out how to stop the slide.
Polaro
The only way to stop becoming irrelevant is for Fox to be a true, honest news source. They can have a political arm for conservative ideals and fully divorce from DT and the fascist. Rip the bandage off, fire every talking head, and start over.