Fox News’ ‘Judge Jeanine’ Won’t Air This Saturday
“Judge Jeanine” isn’t holding court Saturday night.
Fox News Channel replaced tonight’s broadcast of Jeanine Pirro’s weekly program with a repeat episode of its documentary series “Scandalous,” just days after the 21st Century Fox-owned cable-news network said it condemned remarks the outspoken host made about Minnesota Democrat Ihan Omar.
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The change in Fox News’s schedule was evident in an on-screen cable guide. But a Pirro broadcast had been placed in newspaper TV listings for this evening.
When reached for comment, a Fox News spokesperson said, “We’re not commenting on internal scheduling matters,” and declined to elaborate.
During her broadcast last Saturday, Pirro, a former New York prosecutor, suggested Omar, a Democractic representative, did not respect the law set down by the Constitution of the United States. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which is antithetical to the U.S. Constitution?” Pirro asked.
A handful of advertisers have in recent days expressed their unease. Personal-finance marketer NerdWallet, pharmaceutical advertiser Novo Nordis and online marketplace Letgo have indicated in press statements they will all stop running ads in Pirro’s program.
Her absence from the Fox News schedule as the network is once again under scrutiny from advocacy organizations, who in recent days have called for advertisers to pull support from weekday primetime host Tucker Carlson. Liberal groups including Media Matters have scrutinized a number of prominent Fox News hosts in recent moths, including Carlson and Laura Ingraham. Several primetime sponsors have moved commercials to other parts of Fox News schedule, and some of the network’s primetime broadcasts often feature more direct-response ads and show promos from 21st Century Fox-owned properties than national commercials from mainstream advertisers.
Fox News issued a statement last Sunday 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.” Fox News made a similar statement in November when Pirro and fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity, two favorites of President Donald Trump, appeared at a campaign rally Trump held in Missouri.
Rep. Omar responded to the controversy on Monday. “Thank you, @FoxNews. No one’s commitment to our constitution should be questioned because of their faith or country of birth,” she said via Twitter.
Pirro sought to tamp down reaction to her comments with a statement “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.”
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