Could Sean Hannity be the next Fox News evening host that gets booted from the network? Judging by recent developments, it sure looks that way.
Hannity, who has seen several major advertisers flee his evening broadcast in recent weeks due to his obsession with pushing a conspiracy theory about the death of former DNC staffer Seth Rich, will now go on vacation for the remainder of the week. Hannity took to Twitter in an attempt to downplay his sudden absence from his show:
Uh oh My ANNUAL Memorial Day long weekend starts NOW. Destroy Trump/Conservative media breathless coverage starts! Did Hannity do last show?
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) May 25, 2017
As of Thursday, several major advertisers have said they will no longer run ads on Hannity’s TV show. Among them are Cars.com, USAA, and Crowne Plaza Hotels. A similar ad boycott preceded the removal of Fox Host Bill O’Reilly when it was revealed he and the network had paid tens of millions of dollars to settle sexual harassment claims filed by women over the course of O’Reilly’s years at Fox News.
Hannity has no one but himself to blame for the loss of advertisers. The exodus began shortly after he started peddling false claims about the Seth Rich murder, despite the fact that Fox News had retracted its own story about the supposed conspiracy to cover up Rich’s death. Rich’s parents have publicly pleaded with Hannity and other right-wing news outlets to stop spreading false narratives about the death of their son, whom authorities say was robbed and shot in Washington, D.C. in 2016.
But until this week, Hannity had resolutely refused to cease his bizarre speculation about Rich’s murder, perhaps using the incident as a way to divert attention from the Russiagate investigation which has roiled the Trump administration. Hannity is a longtime apologist and supporter of President Trump, and frequently paints him in an almost godlike light.
If indeed Sean Hannity is finished at Fox, it’s no big loss. He’s been fading in the ratings and currently stands at third behind programs from CNN and MSNBC that compete against his. Also, the last thing this country needs right now is more right-wing lies being spread to protect Trump and his Russian paymasters.
This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org