Fox News Host Bret Baier’s Son Paul Has Life-Saving Open Heart Surgery: Health Updates

Fox News journalist Bret Baier revealed in April 2024 that his 16-year-old son Paul had undergone emergency open heart surgery. Updates on Paul’s recovery and what the Baier family has said about his condition.

Why Did Bret Baier’s Son Paul Need Open Heart Surgery?

On April 26, 2024, it was announced on Fox News’ Special Report that Paul had his fifth open heart surgery the day before. Bret shared the clip on X and added his own explanation.

“This one was unexpected and considered an emergency. He is doing remarkably well and we are so incredibly grateful to the doctors and nurses at Children's National. Thank you for your prayers. I will be back on Monday,” he wrote after thanking the hospital staff for “saving our son Paul’s life.” Bret also tagged his wife, Amy Baier, in the post.

Though the couple did not initially share the details of what led to Paul’s emergency surgery, the teen and his parents opened up about it in an interview with People published on May 1, 2024. He caught a cold in Palm Beach, Florida, and Amy brought him to a doctor. The doctor believed Paul had rhinovirus — the common cold — but recommended that he get a chest X-ray because of his history of heart problems. Paul was born with five congenital heart defects and underwent multiple surgeries before he was a teenager, the first when he was a newborn.

Paul’s chest X-ray showed what the doctor thought was tissue on Paul’s lungs. After sending it to his cardiologist in Washington, D.C., his healthcare provider recommended an MRI.

"The MRI comes back, and they sit me down and say, 'This is a really big deal. This is an aneurysm the size of a golf ball that has formed off of his heart,'" Bret explained. "And they didn't know whether it might burst, but if it did, it might have been fatal in a matter of minutes."

Paul needed surgery as soon as possible. Thankfully, he took the news well, according to the political news anchor. "He thought I was joking at first, then he absorbed it and said, 'OK, let's do what we need to do,'" Bret continued. "He's always been that warrior, but this was a big one to absorb."

After enjoying a golf game and dinner with his dad, Paul successfully had his surgery the next day. The doctors removed the aneurysm and believe it will be his last open heart procedure.

Paul Baier Speaks About His Heart Surgery

Paul is in recovery as of publication and will take it easy with healthy eating and daily walks for about six weeks.

"I'm so grateful to have the community I have, and to have my life. A lot can change in a matter of five hours,” he told People, later adding that his recovery was “going pretty smoothly.”

"It's important to be thankful for everything you have, every second of every day,” he added.