Fox News host Sean Hannity is a bit of a diva.
During his “Hannity” broadcast Wednesday, the host called his guest by the wrong name and proceeded to jokingly blame his staff — sort of.
Speaking to Rep. Tim Burchett, Hannity got the Tennesse Republican’s name wrong while setting up a segment about the bombshell revelations made earlier during the House Oversight Committee hearing on UFOs.
“Anyway, joining us now with more is one of the leaders of this hearing, Tennessee Congressman Tom Burchett is with us,” Hannity said, according to a verbatim transcript the Huffington Post published in order to shame the right-wing host.
Burchett meekly replied, “Tim. It’s Tim.”
Hannity didn’t hear Burchett and continued to set up his questions about testimony that “non-human” biologics have been recovered by the government.
“Why do I not think they’re lying, and why do I believe them?” Hannity asked Burchett.
“They’re not. My name’s Tim. Sorry to correct you, Mr. Hannity,” Burchett said with a smile.
“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” Hannity replied.
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“That’s all right, no, it’s all right,” Burchett said.
“I’m going to blame my staff and throw them down the stairs,” Hannity said to excuse his gaffe.
“That’s OK. You’re all right, brother. No, don’t do that. They’re the ones that invite me back,” Burchett said, accidentally speaking the truth of cable news booking.
Former Vox journalist Aaron Rupar had a field day posting clips of the exchange to embarrass Hannity.
“LOL — Hannity botches Tim Burchett’s name, prompting him to repeatedly say, ‘it’s Tim.’ Hannity doesn’t notice the correction,” Rupar captioned one of them.
“My name is Tim” pic.twitter.com/Lp76IoqgFb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 27, 2023
Even for a seasoned professional like Hannity, it’s possible to misread or misspeak a name every now and then.
It’s even possible his staff made a typo, though Burchett’s name was surely known around the network after his three appearances this month, including one the same day as Hannity’s interview.
However, Hannity’s knee-jerk reaction to blame his staff is problematic, even if meant as a gag.
Fox News is still reeling from the settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, the firing of popular host Tucker Carlson and a settlement to a former producer for a supposed “toxic” work environment.
A little humility on Hannity’s part would have been the better response, considering that the network is suffering from a major reputation problem — and not just from the left anymore.
There’s been a noticeable shift away from the staunchly conservative viewpoints that put Fox News on the map in the first place.
Carlson’s firing was shocking and mostly unexplained to the droves of loyal viewers who tuned into his show in record numbers.
With so much already turning off Fox News viewers, the last thing they wanted to see was Hannity throw his staff under the bus.
