Fox TV host Laura Ingraham takes week-long break after mocking Florida shooting survivor David Hogg

Jane Dalton
Updated

A US television chat show host who mocked a leading gun control campaigner has announced she is taking a week-long break from her programme.

Florida school massacre survivor David Hogg and Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham continued their public war of words as she revealed she was taking Easter week off following calls for her to quit the show.

Mr Hogg said on Friday she should resign for “trying to distract from the real issue” when she accused him of “whining” over being rejected by four colleges.

Within hours, Ms Ingraham announced at the end of her show that a “great line-up” of guest hosts would stand in for her for a week while she spent time with her children.

A Fox News spokesperson insisted the holiday was “pre-planned vacation with her kids”.

The student of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, tweeted that she should “have some healthy reflections this Holy Week”.

The host of the Ingraham Angle show had apologised to Mr Hogg for mocking his college rejections after seven companies took Mr Hogg up on his suggestion that they pull their advertising from her show.

He rejected her apology yesterday, and said it was “great” that corporate America was standing behind him and fellow pupils who were standing up for gun reform.

Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over the Valentine’s Day school shooting.

Mr Hogg, who launched a high-profile campaign for gun control, had suggested that advertisers boycott the show, and Ms Ingraham was accused of being a “cyber-bully”.

Nestle US, Hulu, Nutrish, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Wayfair and Johnson & Johnson all cancelled their adverts.

Ms Ingraham then issued an apology, saying: “Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA.” She added: “On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland.”

Mr Hogg, a self-styled “#neveragain activist”, said of the apology: “From a journalistic standpoint, I’d say she needs to be more objective and needs to stand down because I’m not the issue here.”