Sean Hannity isn’t going anywhere when Fox News Channel’s revamped lineup debuts: ‘I'm doing what I love’
‘Hannity’ will remain at 9 p.m. ET
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sean Hannity, who has been with Fox News Channel since it launched in 1996, will stay put at 9 p.m. ET when the network’s revamped lineup launches on July 17, providing viewers with a bedrock in the middle of primetime.
"The Ingraham Angle" with Laura Ingraham will kick things off at 7 p.m. ET, followed by "Jesse Watters Primetime" shifting to 8 p.m. ET. "Hannity" will remain at 9 p.m. ET, "Gutfeld!" will begin at 10 p.m. ET and Trace Gallagher will close out the network’s primetime coverage at 11 p.m. ET with "FOX News @ Night."
"I think each host will put their own special fingerprint on the network and on their shows that will offer, you know, great programing," Hannity said. "They’re all phenomenal."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Hannity" will remain at 9 p.m. ET. (FOX)
Last year, Hannity broke a longstanding record previously held by famed talk show host Larry King to become the longest-running primetime cable news host in television history. At the time, Hannity hosted a primetime program on Fox News for 25 consecutive years, six months and 15 days. He hasn’t slowed down, and the streak seems insurmountable in the modern cable news era.
Hannity, who feels his success has been a result of hard work and determination, laughed when asked if his record is simply unbreakable.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I really don’t think about it. If you would've made this bet in October 1996, it would have been the worst bet of your life that I would be in this position," he joked before taking a series turn.
"Honestly, I'm grateful. I'm doing what I love. I'm in the best shape of my life. I train like a lunatic every day," Hannity said. "The way I live my life is very, very disciplined."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last year, Sean Hannity broke a longstanding record previously held by famed talk show host Larry King to become the longest-running primetime cable news host in television history. (FOX)
Disciplined is one way to put it.
Hannity starts off each morning with a crash course in anything newsworthy that occurred when he was asleep. He tunes into "FOX & Friends" before a daily intense session of mixed martial arts, which often includes boxing. He also lifts weights, and does sit-ups and pushups until it’s time to prep for his radio show by consuming more news.
"I still like to hard newspapers, believe it or not," he said. [Wall Street] Journal, Daily News, The New York Post, USA Today, you know, and I can't stand The New York Times anymore. I don't read it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He then scans Fox News’ website for anything that slipped through the cracks to make sure he is prepared for any newsworthy topics that might come up. He then puts pieces of content, along with notes, into piles and categories so that it’s readily available.
"I’ll have a pile on Joe Biden, Kamala Harris…there's one on media, there's one on woke, there's one on social cultural, there's one on foreign policy, security," he said. "I just have piles, literally one on top of another, all the way across my entire desk. And that's a huge radio studio desk. And I'm adding to it all throughout the day."
By 6 p.m. ET Hannity is done with his radio show and has a few hours to prepare for television. After a quick bite to eat he’s in "TV prep mode" until the moment his show begins. He’s constantly sending story ideas to his staffers, working on booking the best possible guests to discuss the news of the day, and then begins to finalize his monologue.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Channel will debut a new primetime lineup on July 17. (Fox News)
"Fine-tuning that is a whole process that starts early in the day," he said before noting producers leave at least five minutes in case he goes off script.
"I'm extemporaneous for 3 hours on radio. It's not hard for me to be extemporaneous. Probably one of the hardest jobs on my show is to be the teleprompter operator, because I just stop, and I go off on a little rant, and then I'll pick up and know exactly what my signals are to pick up," Hannity said. "We've got this communication going on that nobody that was watching the show should be able to pick up."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Once "Hannity" wraps the program’s namesake eats dinner, which he prefers to prepare for himself, and then starts preparing for the next day, often staying up until 3 a.m. in the process.
"You have to be fearless and independent," he said. "I try to outwork everybody. And a lot of people, they don't want to put the work in behind the scenes. The work is, to me, the secret sauce that at least it puts my signature on both our radio and TV show every day."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Before landing a solo program, Hannity was one half of the popular "Hannity & Colmes" with the late Alan Colmes. Over the last 26 years, Hannity has interviewed newsmakers including former President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then-President George W. Bush, then-Vice President Dick Cheney, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Zimmerman, former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Reverend Jesse Jackson, as well as Sylvester Stallone, Roseanne Barr, Kim Kardashian, Mel Gibson, Michael Moore, Michael Phelps, Richard Petty, Charlie Daniels, Brad Paisley, Sean Penn and many others.
Hannity is also the author of four New York Times bestselling books.