Fox News' Brian Kilmeade Enrages Twitter With Comment About Pregnant Women Getting Jobs
A comment about pregnant women's ability to do their jobs made by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade has landed him in seriously hot water (via Today). The dad of three was discussing the appointment of Nina Jankowicz, whom President Joe Biden picked to head up his Disinformation Advisory Board (via Newsweek). The acclaimed author is also pregnant and puzzlingly, this is not sitting well with the "Fox & Friends" host.
"I'm not sure how you get a job and then you just — you can't do a job for three months," Kilmeade said on an episode of his Fox News morning program, alluding to maternity leave. He added, "I'm not faulting her, but I don't know why you would give someone a job that you think is so important."
Interestingly, Jankowicz has written about pregnancy discrimination in the past in a piece for Wired published in January of 2022 entitled "The Internet Is Failing Moms-to-Be," also tweeting in part about the story, "Online, pregnant people are not seen as worthy of rights, autonomy, or respect."
It seems this maddening experience is also true on TV.
Brian Kilmeade's upsetting comments come at a very tension-filled time
Twitter was understandably enraged after Brian Kilmeade's comments about Nina Jankowicz's role as head of President Joe Biden's Disinformation Advisory Board might be impacted by her pregnancy. Many tweets also noted that the timing of the host's offensive take couldn't be more upsetting, given the leak of the Supreme Court document discussing the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade.
One such tweet put the situation into stark perspective: "So pregnant women shouldn't be hired for work. But, if they stay home, they shouldn't be compensated, but if they terminate a pregnancy they should be charged with murder, but if they don't and they can't afford to have a baby, cause, no job, then they should go hungry. Right?"
More people on Twitter voiced their anger that the host would consider a pregnancy over Jankowicz's qualifications for a position. But one person may have said it best by framing the comment in such a way as to both diffuse tension and call attention to how silly the statement was in the first place: "1950 called, it wants its Brian Kilmeade back."
It's important to note that Kilmeade's co-host, Ainsley Earhardt pushed back at his comments, insisting, "Well, I'll defend her on that one, Brian. She has the right to have a baby and have maternity leave" (via Today).