Fox News Promotes Kayleigh McEnany to Host of Outnumbered, After Initially Balking in Wake of Capitol Attack

Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who was hired as a Fox News contributor a few weeks ago, has already been promoted to a full-time hosting gig.

Fox News announced in a press release that McEnany will serve as co-host for the Fox News daytime show Outnumbered. McEnany will join co-hosts Harris Faulkner and Emily Compagno, along with two rotating guest panelists, for the daily talk show. The promotion was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

“Kayleigh’s unique background in politics and law coupled with her experiences confronting women’s health challenges and life as a new mom will add robust insight to Outnumbered — we are delighted to welcome her back to FOX News where she began her media career,” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement.

McEnany officially joined Fox in early March, though she was initially set to join the network earlier. A financial disclosure form uncovered in late January revealed McEnany’s plans to sign on with the network, though Fox denied she had been hired. A network source at the time said the negotiations around her hiring had been “paused.” That pause came in the aftermath of the Capitol attack, in which a horde of Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol, prompting his second impeachment.

McEnany herself also came under fire in the aftermath of the election for appearing on Fox News regularly to push baseless election conspiracy theories.

McEnany is the latest in a line of former Trump staffers and allies to join the network. Fox previously employed Sarah Huckabee Sanders prior to her launching a bid to become governor of Arkansas; Larry Kudlow hosts a weekday show on Fox Business; and the network just hired Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as another paid contributor.

Of course, the rotating door between politics and the news media isn’t a novelty anymore, as LA Times points out. McEnany’s successor, Biden White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, used to be a commentator on CNN. ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos used to be White House communications director for Bill Clinton. MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace and Fox News’ Dana Perino were both spokeswomen for George W. Bush, and Trump’s first press secretary, Sean Spicer, has his show on Newsmax.