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Monday, March 18, 2019

Fox News Bumps Judge Pirro Show


Fox News pulled Saturday’s episode of conservative commentator Jeanine Pirro’s program after publicly admonishing her for on-air comments she made last week about a Muslim congresswoman’s hijab, according to The L-A Times.

“Justice With Judge Jeanine” — which airs Saturdays at 6 p.m. Pacific and is typically the most watched cable news program on the night — was replaced with a repeat airing of the documentary series “Scandalous: The Trial of William Kennedy Smith,” according to the Fox News schedule.

A representative for Fox News did not comment on Pirro’s status or the reason for the programming change. But the switch appears to be related to Pirro’s March 9 comment about Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn.), who wears a hijab, a traditional head covering worn by Muslim women.

“Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?” Pirro said in the scripted opening of her March 9 program that dealt with Omar, a popular target of conservative pundits since she entered Congress.

Omar, an immigrant from Somalia, has stirred public outrage over tweets she’s made regarding U.S. support of Israel that were interpreted as anti-Semitic.

Fox News, which typically stands by its hosts when they make controversial statements, issued a public rebuke of Pirro over the comments about Omar.

At least four advertisers — personal finance company NerdWallet, online marketplace Letgo and drugmakers Allergan and NovoNordisk — have said they have suspended their sponsorship of Pirro’s program because of her remarks about Omar.

Fox News is already dealing with advertiser avoidance in two of its nightly prime-time programs, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and “The Ingraham Angle.”

According to The NYTimes, Fox News declined to say whether Pirro had been formally suspended. “We are not commenting on internal scheduling matters,” the network said in a statement on Saturday evening.



A former prosecutor known for fiery monologues, Pirro is one of the most fervent on-air champions of President Trump, an old friend from her days in New York political circles who often urges his Twitter followers to tune in to her show.

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