WATCH: Fox News contributor TRASHES network when he thinks tape isn’t rolling
A regular guest on one of the Fox News opinion shows was caught on a hot mic at the end of a podcast episode, trashing the network and some of its hosts (including Tucker Carlson), and suggesting that his jokes about Q-anon and Democrats “eating babies” went way over the heads of the audience.
Francis Ellis, of Barstool Sports, spoke to his cohosts about a recent appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime — but he apparently didn’t know he was still being recorded, because he opened up about his wife’s disgusted response to the host’s behavior, and his own sense that associating with the show and network is a mistake.
described coming home after the appearance, and his wife greeting him, concerned, and asking if he really wants to be associated with “those people.”
Then he and his co-hosts delved into further mockery with an impression of Tucker Carlson, as Ellis responded to a teasing question about what he’d do if invited to host a regular show on the network.
Ellis said he felt like he “went into a bad place” during his latest appearance by making jokes that he feared the right-wing audience would take far too seriously. He told co-hosts:
“They’re just trafficking in hate…I think last night I went into a place that I shouldn’t have gone to. Last night I was like, ‘Yes, the Democrats are, like, eating children beneath pizza shops.’ There are people watching that that don’t know I’m f***ing with them.”
As the others tried to assure him it’s not his job to “fix” everyone who watches Fox News, Ellis replied, “I’m not here to fix people, but I’m certainly not here to like, further divide the country.”
You can hear the clip below.
“They’re just trafficking in hate.” Regular Fox News guest, and Barstool Sports star Francis Ellis, caught on hot mic slamming Fox News, Fox News hosts, and the Fox News audience. (Via Mediaite and Barstool Rundown) pic.twitter.com/9nPl9inG7G
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 7, 2022
However, emphasizing his role as a comedian, when the clip went viral, Ellis didn’t let it get to him. Instead, he released a new version, changing the audio to include a story that is NSFW, tweeting it out with the statement:
“I didn’t want to address it but the story is everywhere. I got caught on a hot mic saying some stuff I meant to keep private this week. I’m a transparent person so here is the audio. I’m embarrassed and ashamed.”
Media Matters covered Ellis’ appearance on Watters’ show last week, where his jokes included saying:
“My old friend Q might have something to say about” child militias as a response to the host’s question about 16-year-olds being allowed to register to vote in Massachusetts, and then, speaking as one of the hypothetical children, “I used to just go to this place to get pizza, but now we go downstairs and train.”
He later joked that “the major plague in San Fransisco is the homeless,” but that “in Massachusetts, it’s all these kids going around voting.”
Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.
