Fox News Personality Dana Perino's Most Awkward On-Air Blunder Of All Time

Thanks to the live aspect of televised news, many messy and awkward moments are caught on camera. You've likely seen those YouTube compilations of news anchor fails, where wardrobe malfunctions and phrasing slip-ups are a constant. There's one Fox News anchor that has certainly come up — and we're not talking about Megyn Kelly and her controversies.

It's actually Dana Perino who takes the #1 spot on the list of awkward on-air blunders. In a 2021 segment from Fox's "The Five," details of Jessica Tarlov's personal life went from private to public when Perino let it slip that her co-anchor was pregnant — something no one knew about Tarlov at the time. While discussing what the hosts had done during the COVID-19 pandemic, Perino said to Tarlov, "Jessica, did you try anything new? I mean you've got something new coming!" Tarlov's eye-widened reaction clearly told Perino that this was a secret, but at that point, the truth had to come out. "Yeah, and now the audience knows. So, I'm pregnant," Tarlov said, later alluding to it not being the right moment to come clean.

Luckily for Perino, the whole table erupted in laughter, eventually including Tarlov. An embarrassed Perino apologized and admitted that she thought it was public knowledge. "Maybe this is a good reason I shouldn't have two shows," Perino joked. Before they cut to commercial, Jesse Watters exclaimed, "I just can't believe I didn't blow it!" — inciting even more laughter.

Shortly after Dana Perino inadvertently outed Jessica Tarlov's pregnancy, the two took to X (formerly Twitter) to assure their fans that there were no hard feelings. "I love this woman!" Perino wrote in an X post. "⁦@JessicaTarlov⁩ Let me be the one to accidentally spill the beans. But they are such good beans!!" In the end, Tarlov might have been grateful for Perino's slip, or at least she was looking on the bright side. She responded to Perino's post in the comments, writing: "Saved me a lot of fretting over a reveal. Love you!"

A year later, Perino was still reeling over her mistake, writing on X: "A year ago I spilled the beans on the The Five that ⁦@JessicaTarlov⁩ was pregnant with her sweet and loving daughter. In my defense, she was 6.5 months pregnant! I still want to faint when I think about that moment." The journalist was seemingly commemorating the incident, ending her post with, "Happy awkward anniversary, Jessica!" Tarlov still saw the situation as a blessing in disguise, writing in the comments: "Happy awkward anniversary to you, too! As I said at the time, saved me the trouble of having to reveal it — did me a favor. You're the best."