Sean Hannity facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sean Hannity
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Hannity in 2020
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| Born |
Sean Patrick Hannity
December 30, 1961 New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Employer | Premiere Networks, Fox News Channel |
| Political party | Conservative Party of New York State |
| Spouse(s) |
Jill Rhodes
(m. 1993; div. 2019) |
| Partner(s) | Ainsley Earhardt (2019–present; engaged 2024) |
| Children | 2 |
Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, radio host, and author. He is well-known for hosting The Sean Hannity Show, a popular talk radio program heard across the country. He also hosts a political commentary show called Hannity on Fox News, which started in 2009. Before that, he co-hosted Hannity & Colmes with Alan Colmes from 1996 to 2009.
Hannity began his career in radio in 1989 at a college station. He later worked at various radio stations before joining Fox News in 1996. He has written several books that became bestsellers. Hannity is known for his strong conservative views and his support for Donald Trump. He has often discussed current events and political topics on his shows.
Early Life and Education
Sean Hannity was born in New York City. His mother, Lillian, worked as a stenographer and a corrections officer. His father, Hugh, was a World War II veteran and a family-court officer. Sean was the youngest of four children and the only boy. His grandparents came to the United States from Ireland. He grew up in Franklin Square, New York, on Long Island.
As a young person, Hannity delivered newspapers. His parents supported President John F. Kennedy at first, but later became more Republican in their political views. However, they usually kept politics out of their home discussions.
Hannity attended Sacred Heart Seminary and St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary in New York. He also went to New York University and Adelphi University, but he did not finish his degrees at either school.
Career Highlights
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In 1982, Hannity started a house-painting business. A few years later, he worked as a building contractor in Santa Barbara, California. He hosted his very first talk radio show in 1989 at UC Santa Barbara's volunteer college station, KCSB-FM. He said about his first show, "I wasn't good at it. I was terrible."
Radio Career
Hannity's weekly show on KCSB was canceled after less than a year because of some disagreements. The university board that ran the station later changed its mind. This happened after the American Civil Liberties Union argued that Hannity's First Amendment rights were not respected. Hannity did not return to KCSB because the station would not apologize or give him more airtime.
After leaving KCSB, Hannity found a job at WVNN in Athens, Alabama. He then moved to WGST in Atlanta in 1992. In 1996, Roger Ailes, who helped start Fox News, hired Hannity to host a TV show. Alan Colmes was hired to co-host, and the show became Hannity & Colmes.
Later that year, Hannity moved to New York and started working at WABC radio. He hosted a full-time show there starting in 1997. He stayed at WABC until the end of 2013. Since January 2014, Hannity has hosted a show on WOR radio in New York City.
The Sean Hannity Show began to be heard across the country on September 10, 2001. It is now heard on more than 500 stations. In 2008, Hannity signed a large contract to continue his radio show. As of March 2018, more than 13.5 million people listen to his program each week.
Television Career
Hannity was a co-host of Hannity & Colmes on the Fox News Channel. This show featured Hannity presenting a conservative point of view, while Alan Colmes offered a liberal viewpoint.
In January 2007, Hannity started a new Sunday night TV show on Fox News called Hannity's America.
In November 2008, Alan Colmes announced he was leaving Hannity & Colmes. After the last show on January 9, 2009, Hannity took over the time slot with his own new show, Hannity. This show has a similar style to Hannity's America.
Published Books
Sean Hannity has written four books. His first book, Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism, was published in 2002. His second book, Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism, came out in 2004. Both of these books became New York Times bestsellers. Hannity has mentioned that he often dictated parts of his books into a tape recorder while driving.
His third book, Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama's Radical Agenda, was released in March 2010 and also became a New York Times Bestseller.
In 2020, Hannity released his fourth book, Live Free or Die.
- Let Freedom Ring:Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism, William Morrow, August 1, 2002, ISBN: 978-0060514556.
- Deliver Us From Evil:Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism, William Morrow, February 17, 2004, ISBN: 978-0060582517.
- Conservative Victory:Defeating Obama's Radical Agenda, HarperCollins, March 30, 2010, ISBN: 978-0062003058.
- Live Free or Die:America (and the World) on the Brink, Threshold Editions, August 4, 2020, ISBN: 978-1982149970.
Freedom Concerts
From 2003 to 2010, Hannity hosted "Freedom Concerts" that featured country music. These concerts aimed to raise money for charity. The concerts stopped around 2010.
Awards and Recognition
- Hannity received a Marconi Award in 2003 and 2007. This award recognized him as the Network Syndicated Personality of the Year from the National Association of Broadcasters.
- In 2009, Talkers Magazine listed Hannity as the second most important radio talk show host in America. The same magazine gave him its Freedom of Speech Award in 2003.
- In 2005, Liberty University gave Hannity an honorary degree.
- Hannity was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November 2017.
Other Activities
Hannity has made small appearances in movies and TV shows. He was an executive producer for the 2017 film Let There Be Light.
As of April 2018, Hannity owned many residential properties. He bought some of these homes with help from government loans. His property managers have been known for their strict approach, with a higher-than-average rate of evictions. His managers have stated that Hannity is not directly involved in managing these properties.
Hannity's Views
Sean Hannity is known for his strong opinions and how he shares them. He often discusses ideas that some people call "conspiracy theories." These are ideas that suggest secret plans or events, but they don't always have strong proof. The New York Times has noted that Hannity often brings up these ideas without fully supporting them. This allows his fans to believe them while giving him some distance from the claims.
During the time George W. Bush was president, Hannity supported his policies. When Barack Obama was president, Hannity focused more on stories he felt the "liberal media" was not covering enough. These included questions about where Obama was born and the attack in Benghazi, Libya. Since 2017, Hannity has been a strong supporter of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump
Hannity is known for his very supportive coverage of Donald Trump. He was an early and strong supporter of Trump during the 2016 presidential election. Hannity often defended Trump when he faced criticism. For example, he stood by Trump after the Access Hollywood tape was released. After Trump became president, Hannity conducted the first interview with him on a cable news channel.
Hannity has been criticized for being too favorable to Trump during the 2016 primaries. He gave Trump more airtime than other candidates. Hannity has said he is not a traditional journalist but an "advocacy journalist" or "opinion journalist." This means he openly supports certain political views.
Hannity developed a close relationship with Trump during his presidency. They often spoke on the phone multiple times a week. Some White House advisors even joked that Hannity "basically has a desk in the place" because of his frequent contact. Hannity often echoed Trump's criticisms of the media and certain investigations.
In April 2018, it was revealed that Hannity had consulted with Michael Cohen, who was also Trump's lawyer. Hannity had defended Cohen on his show without revealing their connection. Hannity stated that Cohen never formally represented him and that their discussions were mostly about real estate.
After Trump lost the 2020 election, Hannity sent text messages to Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, offering advice. In October 2023, a staff member on Hannity's show contacted Republican lawmakers. They asked why they were not supporting Representative Jim Jordan for House Speaker.
Unproven Claims
Hannity has promoted various unproven claims. During the 2016 presidential election, he discussed ideas about Hillary Clinton's health. He also shared a photo from a fake news site, wrongly claiming it showed a Secret Service agent holding a special pen for seizures.
Hannity also repeatedly asked Barack Obama to release his birth certificate. This was part of a movement that questioned if Obama was a legitimate U.S. citizen. Even after Obama released his birth certificate, Hannity continued to ask why it took so long.
In May 2017, Hannity became a strong supporter of an unproven idea that a Democratic Party staffer had been killed. This led to many advertisers pulling their ads from his show. In March 2018, the staffer's parents sued Fox News for spreading these ideas. Fox News later agreed to pay money to the family in October 2020.
Hannity also faced criticism during the 2016 election for making incorrect claims about election rigging. He used Mitt Romney's lack of votes in certain districts in 2012 as "proof." However, fact-checking groups found that this was not unusual.
2020 Election Claims
After the 2020 election, Hannity discussed incorrect claims of election fraud. He hosted former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell on his show, who made unproven statements. The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack investigated what Hannity knew before the January 6 United States Capitol attack. They found a text message from Hannity to Mark Meadows on December 31, 2020. In it, Hannity said he did not think January 6 would happen as Trump was being told.
Fox News was sued in 2021 by Dominion Voting Systems. This was because Hannity and other hosts promoted claims that Dominion's voting machines were rigged against Donald Trump. In a sworn statement for the case, Hannity said, "I did not believe it for one second."
"Deep State" Ideas
Hannity has talked about the "deep state" idea. This idea suggests that a network of government officials secretly works to stop the Trump administration. He has called it a "Shadow Government." In March 2017, he called for a "purge" of Obama-era officials in government.
2012 Benghazi Attack
Hannity was a major supporter of claims about the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton related to the 2012 Benghazi attack. Several investigations by House committees found no evidence of wrongdoing.
WikiLeaks
In 2010, Hannity said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was waging a "war" on the United States. He said WikiLeaks put American lives in "danger." However, in 2016, after WikiLeaks published emails from the Democratic National Committee, Hannity praised Assange. He said Assange showed "how corrupt, dishonest and phony our government is."
Criticism of FBI and DOJ
During President Trump's time in office, Hannity often criticized the FBI, the DOJ, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller. These groups were investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Hannity called the Russia inquiry a "witch hunt" and a "disgrace." He also suggested that the CIA might have been involved in hacking emails, making it look like Russia did it.
In April 2018, Hannity claimed there were "criminal" connections between Bill and Hillary Clinton, Mueller, and former FBI Director James Comey. He said these individuals were part of "deep-state conflict of interest."
In November 2018, Hannity spoke at a Trump campaign rally. He had previously tweeted that he would not be on stage campaigning. Fox News stated that it "does not condone any talent participating in campaign events."
Immigration Views
Hannity has changed his views on immigration over time. In 2012, he said he supported a "pathway to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants. Later, he opposed this idea. By 2018, he was described as having very strict views on immigration. In August 2018, Trump suggested he might shut down the government to get money for a border wall, saying Hannity agreed with this action.
Religion
Hannity left the Catholic Church in 2019, citing "too much institutionalized corruption." However, he has said that as he has gotten older, his Christian faith has "gotten stronger."
Hannity has warned about Sharia law coming to the United States. He opposed building a mosque near the World Trade Center site. In 2006, he criticized Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to U.S. Congress, for taking his oath on a Quran.
Climate Change
Hannity does not agree with the scientific view on climate change. In 2001, he called it "phony science from the left." In 2004, he incorrectly claimed that scientists could not agree on whether global warming was "scientific fact or fiction." He often invites people who criticize climate science onto his shows.
"Death Panels" Claims
Hannity promoted the incorrect idea that the Affordable Care Act would create "death panels." This was a false claim that the law would allow government panels to decide who gets medical care. Hannity claimed he found specific pages in the law that supported this idea, but this was not true.
Foreign Policy
In 2009, Hannity said about the Iraq War, "we were victorious in spite of the Democrats' efforts." During the 2016 election, Hannity said he and Trump disagreed about the Iraq War, with Hannity being for it and Trump against it.
In June 2019, Hannity called on Trump to "bomb the hell of out Iran" after Iran shot down a U.S. drone. After the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, Hannity said, "tonight the world is safer."
From 2015 to 2018, Fox News covered an alleged scandal about the sale of Uranium One to Russian interests. Hannity called it "one of the biggest scandals in American history." The network suggested that Hillary Clinton approved the sale in exchange for money to the Clinton Foundation. However, no evidence of wrongdoing by Clinton was found after investigations.
COVID-19 Pandemic
In February 2020, as COVID-19 spread, Hannity said "many on the left are now all rooting for corona to wreak havoc in the United States." In March 2020, he called the virus a "hoax." Later in March, as the disease became a global pandemic, Hannity started to take it more seriously. In July 2021, on live television, Hannity encouraged people to consider getting vaccinated.
Biden Family Investigations
Hannity was a major promoter of claims that President Joe Biden had acted improperly through his son Hunter Biden's business dealings. He often called them the "Biden crime family." Hannity claimed the president was "very credibly accused of public corruption." An FBI informant made a bribery allegation, but this informant was later charged in February 2024 with fabricating the story. Hannity did not mention this development on his program.
Personal Life
Sean Hannity met Jill Rhodes in 1991 when he worked in Huntsville, Alabama. She was a political writer for a local newspaper. They married in 1993. In June 2020, they announced they had divorced the previous year, after separating years before.
Hannity has since dated Fox News colleague Ainsley Earhardt. In August 2019, they attended a wedding together. It was announced that Hannity proposed to Earhardt on Christmas Day 2024.
Hannity has two children with Jill Rhodes: a son named Patrick, born in 1998, and a daughter named Merri, born in 2001. Both children graduated from Cold Spring Harbor High School. Patrick played tennis at Wake Forest University, and Merri plays tennis at the University of Michigan.
In 2014, Hannity said he had carried a weapon for "more than half my adult life." He also said he has a brown belt in martial arts and trains four days a week.
In 2018, Forbes estimated Hannity's yearly income to be $36 million. In April 2021, he bought a home for $5.3 million, located near Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
In 2024, Hannity announced that he had moved from Long Island, New York to Florida. He now broadcasts The Sean Hannity Show and Hannity from his new home permanently.
See also
In Spanish: Sean Hannity para niños
- Fox News controversies
- New Yorkers in journalism
