Fox News anchor Sean Hannity and wife Jill Rhodes divorce after more than 20 years of marriage
Fox News star Sean Hannity and his wife Jill Rhodes have decided to go their separate ways after more than 20 years of marriage, as confirmed by Page Six. The 58-year-old TV anchor and journalist Rhodes, 57, tied the knot in 1993 and share two children together - son Patrick and daughter Merri Kelly.
According to friends of the family, the former couple have been legally divorced for more than a year and had separated several years prior to that. However, they kept it under wraps. Rumors of a possible split began floating around prior to the COVID-19 pandemic after Rhodes was not seen at various Fox News events alongside her former husband. “Sean and Jill are committed to working together for the best interests of their children. Amicable agreements were entered into over four years ago between Sean and Jill," the couple said in a joint statement to Page Six when asked for comment.
“They maintain a close relationship as parents to their children. Neither will have any further comments and ask for the sake of their children that their privacy be respected.”
One friend of the former couple told the outlet that their split “is very amicable. Sean and Jill remain on very good terms and still have family dinners, and attend tennis tournaments for their children. Sean is still close with members of Jill’s family.”
Neither Hannity nor Rhodes was involved with other people, the source said, adding that “Sean is basically a workaholic.” Hannity, who is currently the host of 'Hannity' on Fox News and of the nationally syndicated talk radio show “The Sean Hannity Show”, once credited Rhodes for his success as a talk show host. In fact, he dedicated his first book “Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism,” to her in 2002.
Last month, Hannity grabbed headlines after criticizing anti-lockdown protesters for bringing out their firearms in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On a rare occasion, 'The View' co-host Joy Behar agreed with Hannity's stance. "Things are really bad when even Sean Hannity is out there telling these crazy people to stop it. Just stop it," she said.
"I come from the generation, as do you Whoopi, where we protested the Vietnam War. ... Nobody was carrying a gun, okay," the 77-year-old continued. "That is not a protest. That is a terrorist act, or the indication of it. I don’t say that they are terrorists, but they are certainly intimidators."
Behar's comments came after Hannity called out armed protesters in Michigan for "attempting to intimidate officials with the show of force."
"Now, no one is a bigger defender of the Second Amendment than yours truly," he said. "Everyone has a right to protest, protect themselves, and try to get the country open."
"This with the militia look here and these long guns, uh no," he continued.
"Show of force is dangerous," Hannity added. "That puts our police at risk and, by the way, your message will never be heard, whoever you people are. No one should be attempting to intimidate officials with the show of force. And God forbid something that happens, then they're going to go after all of us law-abiding Second Amendment people."