Sean Hannity Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sean Hannity
Hannity in 2020
Born	Sean Patrick Hannity (1961-12-30) December 30, 1961 (age 63) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Television presenter broadcaster writer
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 host, radio personality, and writer. He is well-known for hosting The Sean Hannity Show, a popular talk radio program heard across the country. He also hosts his own political show, Hannity, on Fox News. Before that, he co-hosted Hannity & Colmes with Alan Colmes from 1996 to 2009.

Hannity started his career in radio in 1989 at a college station. He later worked at different radio stations before joining Fox News in 1996. He became a strong supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 election and often shared his views on air. He has written four books, three of which became New York Times bestsellers.

Sean Hannity: A Media Star
See also

Sean Hannity: A Media Star

Early Life and School

Sean Hannity was born in New York City. His parents were Lillian and Hugh Hannity. Lillian worked as a secretary and a corrections officer. Hugh was a World War II veteran. 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 boy, Hannity delivered newspapers like the New York Daily News. His parents supported President John F. Kennedy at first. Over time, they became more Republican in their views.

Hannity went to Sacred Heart Seminary and St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary. He also attended New York University and Adelphi University. However, he did not finish his degrees at either university.

His Career in Media

In 1982, Hannity started a house-painting business. A few years later, he worked as a building contractor in Santa Barbara, California.

Starting in Radio

Hannity hosted his first talk radio show in 1989. This was at UC Santa Barbara's volunteer college station, KCSB-FM. He was also working as a contractor at the time. He said about his first show, "I wasn't good at it. I was terrible."

His weekly show on KCSB was stopped after less than a year. This happened after some discussions about LGBT rights were seen as controversial. The university board later changed its mind. This was after the American Civil Liberties Union argued that Hannity's First Amendment rights were not respected. Hannity did not go back to KCSB because the station did not apologize or give him more airtime.

After KCSB, Hannity advertised himself as "the most talked about college radio host in America." He was then hired by WVNN in Athens, Alabama. From there, he moved to WGST in Atlanta in 1992. In 1996, Fox News co-founder Roger Ailes 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. He worked at WABC until 2013. Since 2014, Hannity has worked at WOR.

Interviewing Vice President Dick Cheney in 2006

Interviewing Vice President Mike Pence in 2020

The Sean Hannity Show started being heard across the country on September 10, 2001. It was on more than 500 stations. By March 2018, over 13.5 million people listened to his program each week. Talkers Magazine ranked Hannity as the No. 2 most important radio talk show host in America in 2017.

Moving to TV

Hannity was a co-host of Hannity & Colmes on the Fox News Channel. This show had a "point-counterpoint" style. Hannity shared the conservative view, and Colmes shared the liberal view.

In January 2007, Hannity started a new Sunday night TV show called Hannity's America. In November 2008, Alan Colmes announced he was leaving Hannity & Colmes. After the last show on January 9, 2009, Hannity started his own new show, Hannity. This show has a similar style to Hannity's America.

Books He Has Written

Hannity in 2004

Sean Hannity has written four books. His first book, Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism, came out in 2002. His second book, Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism, was published in 2004. Both of these books became New York Times bestsellers.

Hannity's third book, Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama's Radical Agenda, was released in March 2010. This book also became a New York Times Bestseller. In 2020, he released his fourth book, Live Free or Die.

Let Freedom Ring:Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism, 2002, ISBN: 978-0060514556.
Deliver Us From Evil:Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism, 2004, ISBN: 978-0060582517.
Conservative Victory:Defeating Obama's Radical Agenda, 2010, ISBN: 978-0062003058.
Live Free or Die:America (and the World) on the Brink, 2020, ISBN: 978-1982149970.

Helping Others Through Music

From 2003 to 2010, Hannity hosted "Freedom Concerts." These concerts featured country music and raised money for charity. The money raised helped the Freedom Alliance, which supports scholarships for children of those killed or wounded in war.

Awards and Recognition

Hannity received a Marconi Award in 2003 and 2007. This award is for the best Network Syndicated Personality of the Year from the National Association of Broadcasters.
In 2009, Talkers Magazine listed Hannity as No. 2 on their list of the 100 most important radio talk show hosts in America.
He was given an honorary degree by Liberty University in 2005.
Hannity was added to the National Radio Hall of Fame in November 2017.

About His Life

Hannity met Jill Rhodes in 1991. They got married in 1993. In June 2020, they announced that they had divorced the year before.

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. Merri plays tennis at The University of Michigan.

In 2024, Hannity announced that he had moved from Long Island, New York, to Florida. He now broadcasts his shows from his new home. It was also announced that Hannity proposed to Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt on Christmas Day 2024.