Fox News Feud as Jeanine Pirro Lays Into Sean Hannity: See Their Explosive Texts
Former Fox News anchor and current Trump cabinet member Jeanine Pirro has had her private text messages exposed amid a defamation lawsuit brought about by Smartmatic against the network.
As first reported by The Washington Post, a recent court filing unveiled bombshell text messages in which Pirro called out her fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity and admitted to using her show, Justice with Judge Jeanine, to help Donald Trump and the Republican Party. The filing also notes how Fox News has rules against on-air talent being involved in politics.
“I work so hard for the party across the country,” Pirro wrote in a text message to then-Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel in 2020. “I’m the Number 1 watched show on all news cable all weekend. I work so hard for the President and party.”
In another message, she branded Hannity an “egomaniac,” texting a friend in October 2020 that he “[stormed] in [to the Oval Office] like he owns the place, throws his papers on the Pres desk and says, you don’t mind if I use your private bathroom, and walks into bathroom within Oval and uses it. Looks at me and says, I got to talk to him … It’s all abt him, period. No one else matters.”
After Fox chose not to run the November 7, 2020, episode of her show, Pirro texted Hannity, “I’M TIRED OF THE CENSORSHIP AND I’M EMBARRASSED BY HOW THEY CALLED THIS ELECTION.”
“Fox News promoting u every 5 seconds. It’s hilarious,” Hannity replied.
Pirro served as an anchor on Fox News from 2011 to May 2025. On May 8, Trump named her as the United States attorney for the District of Columbia before confirming her to the full position on August 2.
The shocking texts were released as part of a lawsuit filed by voting machine manufacturer Smartmatic against Fox for allegedly spreading falsehoods and conspiracy theories about its products in the aftermath of Trump’s 2020 presidential election defeat to Joe Biden. The company is seeking $2.7 billion in damages.
Fox News denied the claims in a statement, writing, “The evidence shows that Smartmatic’s business and reputation were badly suffering long before any claims by President Trump’s lawyers on Fox News and that Smartmatic grossly inflated its damage claims to generate headlines and chill free speech. Now, in the aftermath of Smartmatic’s executives getting indicted for bribery charges, we are eager and ready to continue defending our press freedoms.”
The network previously settled a similar defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 for $787.5 million.
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