Sean Hannity Shares A Surprising Opinion About Simone Biles

Many things have been said about conservative commentator Sean Hannity, but two of the words we generally can't really use to describe him are "compassionate" and "understanding." 

Both fans and critics of the outspoken TV personality were more than a little taken aback when he went on the air after Simone Biles' award-winning performance on the balance beam at the Olympic games – not to criticize, but to call out those who had sought to question Biles and her decision to walk away from most of the events for the sake of her mental health. He even called for tennis player Naomi Osaka – who pulled out of both the French Open - to be treated with the same consideration.

"To be honest, and this may surprise you, I'm kind of shocked people have actually been so mean and cruel in many cases, passing judgment of both these incredible female athletes. Um, can we just be a little more respectful?" the outspoken Fox News commentator asked, (via Yahoo). "Remember, they are under tremendous pressure. They're all very young and sometimes all of us need to take a deep breath, relax, reset, move forward. These young women have both sacrificed years and years over a decade of their life to become some of the greatest athletes in their respective sport."

In case he didn't turn enough heads, Sean Hannity continued by asking viewers to walk a mile in Simone Biles' and Naomi Osaka's shoes. "None of us ever know what someone, especially any young person, what they might be going through that you don't know about. You just don't know," he explained (via Yahoo). "They're under tremendous pressure, and I'm sorry, but some people seem pretty heartless in their comments."

Social media rose up to applaud Hannity and give credit where credit was due for supporting both Biles and tennis pro Naomi Osaka – even if most were surprised by the position the Fox commentator stood on the matter. ne social media user wrote, "Wow, color me surprised. I respect this opinion even though I don't respect him."

Another added incredulously. "Hannity? Hannity?!?! Did someone at Fox swap out his taped show for last night with a deepfake? Because this just isn't Hannity. The guy is always an asshole, so him getting it right can't be real."

But as with all issues, there were those that refused to be swayed, even if the call for civility came from Hannity himself. "Simone Biles quit on her team and her country. She should Not be celebrated for It," one social media user huffed, while another retorted, "Who cares about @Simone_Biles ? Focus on the athletes that didn't abandon their teams."