Jeanine Pirro Makes Return to Fox News Channel After Two-Week Absence
“Judge Jeanine” is back in session on Fox News Channel.
Outspoken opinion host Jeanine Pirro returned to her Saturday-night program “Justice with Judge Jeanine” on the cable-news outlet after a two-week absence, saying nothing about her time away from the program or the apparent controversy she sparked before she left.
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The Fox Corp.-owned outlet had replaced two broadcasts of her weekly program after condemning remarks the host made about Minnesota Democrat Ihan Omar on March 9. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which is antithetical to the U.S. Constitution?” Pirro asked during that show. A handful of advertisers expressed their unease with the comments after they were made. A few national advertisers were spotted during Saturday night’s broadcast.
Fox News issued a statement rebuking Pirro’s words. “We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar,” the network said in a statement. “They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”
Pirro also sought to tamp down reaction to her comments with a statement after the initial broadcast. “I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American,” she said. “My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution. I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today.”
Pirro did not mention the episode Saturday night, though she alluded to her absence in the final moments of the show by telling her viewers how much she appreciated their devotion to the show.
One guest was more direct. Rudy Giuliani, a former mayor of New York City who has been working as an attorney for President Donald Trump, told Pirro in one of the Saturday broadcast’s earlier segments that “we need your common-sense voice” and that “it’s an honor to be with you again.” Pirro thanked him for the comments, but made no mention of her time away from the show.
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