Fox News host Brian Kilmeade is facing backlash from viewers after he made comments that implied pregnant women should not hold “important” jobs. Even one of his co-anchors expressed their disagreement with his statement while on the air.
Kilmeade’s Co-Host Disagrees With His Comments About Working Pregnant Women
Kilmeade and co-host Ainsley Earhardt were discussing the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to combat misinformation when Kilmeade brought up one of the government officials who is working with Homeland Security on this issue.
“This woman that’s in charge of it, Nina Jankowicz, who’s about eight and a half months pregnant so I’m not sure how you get a job and then you just can do a job for three months,” Kilmeade said. “I’m not faulting her but I don’t know why you would give someone a job that you think is so important.”
Earhardt was quick to come to Jankowicz’s defense, saying, “How long has she had this job?” When Kilmeade said it had been “about two months,” Earhardt continued to defend Jankowicz, saying, “She has the right to have a baby and have maternity leave.”
“No, I know but if you really want to have someone head up an organization, this is the face of the organization,” Kilmeade continued to argue. This is not the first time the Fox News host has slammed Jankowicz for her pregnancy.
In a previous episode, Kilmeade said, “If you’re going to take over a brand new bureau, shouldn’t you not need maternity leave the first few weeks in? Just saying.” Many people were quick to point out how problematic his comments were.
Social Media Reactions: ‘This [Discrimination] Has Been Around For Decades’
“So pregnant women shouldn’t be hired for work,” one person tweeted. “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?”
“The women in that network must be so happy to work with dudes who question why they have jobs and aren’t at home prepping supper,” another person wrote. Many shared their personal stories of dealing with this kind of discrimination. “This has been around for decades,” one woman wrote. “On a job interview I was told that since I was newly married I would probably start a family, he would not keep my resume.”
Kilmeade’s comments are problematic and many are pointing out that Earhardt’s disagreement with him on-air shows just how ridiculous his opinions on hiring pregnant women are.
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