Fox News Channel will not air a new episode of Jeanine Pirro’s Justice With Judge Jeanine after she suggested U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar wearing a hijab means she could not be loyal to the Constitution.
As Deadline noted, FNC pulled Judge Jeanine from the schedule and replaced it with Scandalous: The Trial of William Kennedy Smith at 9 p.m. ET.
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“We’re not commenting on internal scheduling matters,” Fox News said in a statement to PopCulture.com.
During her March 9 episode, Pirro discussed Omar, a freshman U.S. Representative from Minnesota who is a practicing Muslim and wears a hijab — a newly reinvigorated symbol of feminism and resistance to Islamophobia amid recent rhetoric within U.S. policy targeting Muslim immigrants, as noted by USA Today.
“Think about it — Omar wears a hijab,” Pirro told her viewers. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”
After the remarks were broadcast, Fox News quickly issued a statement condemning her remarks.
“We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar,” the network said. “They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”
While Omar later thanked Fox News for its statement, the network also issued a statement from Pirro, in which she denied questioning Omar’s loyalty to the Constitution.
“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,” Pirro said, notes NBC News. “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.”
This was just the latest scandal for the network. Last week, Media Matters began publishing old remarks pundit Tucker Carlson made during radio show appearances over 10 years ago. In one appearance on Bubba The Love Sponge’s show, Carlson defended Warren Jeffs, who was convicted of child rape for arranging marriages between men and underage girls, and made several sexist remarks.
Carlson has continued to host his show, and refused to let the “leftist mob” silence him by apologizing. The network also stood by Carlson.
“We cannot and will not allow voices like Tucker Carlson to be censored by agenda-driven intimidation efforts from the likes of Moveon.org, Media Matters and Sleeping Giants,” FNC said in a statement to USA Today.
Meanwhile, Carlson and Pirro’s shows are losing advertisers. Both drugmaker AstraZeneca and bedding company Sheex announced they will no longer advertise during Carlson’s show.
“Due to the inappropriate statements of Tucker Carlson that have recently come to light, Sheex has made the decision to cease advertising on his television program,” Sheex told USA Today and other outlets.
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