“MRI tomorrow for neck and brain. Never had one before, pretty nervous” Britt McHenry, 33, tweeted on Feb. 24. Unfortunately, the Fox Nation host and former ESPN was given “good & bad news” the next day. Though she didn’t explain what the “bad news” was that day, things got out, and she decided to address the speculation herself. “I was trying to keep this relatively private. But as usual, things are being said without my consent. I have a brain tumor. I’m with an amazing medical team, and surgery is imminent. Thank you for your continued support and understanding at this time.”
Despite this “bad news,” Britt said earlier that she was “Overwhelmed by the support by friends & strangers alike. With the best surgeons and doctors. Just another thing to take on. Please I can’t stress enough, make your check-ups. Get an MRI early. It could have saved me.” The young Fox News personality didn’t say when she was undergoing surgery, but the news caused many – including Meghan McCain, whose father Sen. John McCain, died from brain cancer. “Sending love and strength Brit. Please let me know if there’s anything we can do.” As Britt gets ready to battle this disease, here’s what you need to know about her.
1. She’s an Air Force brat. Britt grew up in Florida. She is the daughter of a man who “served in the Air Force for more than 20 years and did a tour in Iraq,” she wrote for Marie Claire in 2015. “He dedicated his life to serving all types of people in this country. My mother, a former hairdresser and salon designer, put her career aside to raise my sister and me.” She played soccer in high school and college. She was did some model work, but her true passion was in broadcast journalism. She graduated magna cum laude from Stetson University in 2007, attended Northwestern University’s school of journalism, and began a career covering sports.
Sending love and strength Brit. Please let me know if there’s anything we can do.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 27, 2020
2. She used to work at ESPN. After working for ABC’s Washington D.C. affiliate, she joined ESPN in 2014 as a D.C.-based bureau reporter. She was let go in 2017, part of the massive layoffs that left more 100 ESPN workers without a job. She would later tweet-and-delete, per Deadspin, that she was fired because she was “white [and] I made too much.” She joined Fox News as a contributor in 2018 and is part of its 24/7 streaming platform, Fox Nation.
3. She went viral for a foul-mouth rant. “I’m in the news, sweetheart. I will f*cking sue this place,” said Britt in a 2015 video of her berating an employee at a Virginia tow lot, per CNN. The security footage of the exchange went viral, with Britt saying such things as: “I wouldn’t work at a scumbag place like this. Makes my skin crawl even being here.” “[All] you care about it just taking people’s money, with no education, no skill set, just wanted to clarify that.” “Do you feel good about your job? So I can be a college dropout and do the same thing?” “Maybe if I was missing some teeth, they would hire me, huh?” “Lose some weight, baby girl.”
Britt, who was working for ESPN at the time, was suspended for one week. “In an intense and stressful moment, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me,” she wrote on Twitter afterward, “and said some insulting and regrettable things. As frustrated as I was, I should always choose to be respectful and take the high road. I am so sorry for my actions and will learn from this mistake.”
4. She loves sports. Britt’s viral 2015 rant went viral at the same time that she conducted an interview with the biggest stars of the NHL. “As both a journalist and die-hard hockey fan, I was beyond elated to get to do the interview.” She just loves sports. Her Instagram is full of love for the Washington Nationals, grief over the Miami Dolphins’ woes, and admiration for the Washington Capitals.
5. She’s conservative — but she also sued Fox News. This should be no surprise. While her public Instagram is full of personal pics and sports love, her Twitter is what you would expect for someone who works at Fox News. However — and this sadly should be no surprise to anyone who’s seen Bombshell – Britt sued Fox News over sexual harassment in December 2019, per The New York Times. She and former WWE professional wrestler Tyrus (aka George Murdoch) hosted the Fox Nation show Un-PC from December 2018 to February 2019. In December, she alleged the network “failed to respond to four sexual harassment complaints that she made against her former co-host” and then retaliated against her while giving him his own show. She claimed she “suffered humiliation, emotional anguish, derailment of her career, and significant loss of economic opportunities.”
Fox News dismissed her lawsuit (“As we have previously stated, Ms. McHenry’s allegations have been fully investigated, and we are confident our actions will be deemed entirely appropriate in litigation”) and Mr. Murdoch’s lawyers both denied the allegations.