Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto has COVID-19
Longtime Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto is off the air after contracting COVID-19.
Cavuto, who has multiple sclerosis and is a survivor of Hodgkins lymphoma and has undergone triple bypass surgery, said Tuesday in a statement that he is fully vaccinated. A representative for the network had no information on when he will return to his duties.
“While I’m somewhat stunned by this news, doctors tell me I’m lucky as well,” Cavuto said. “Had I not been vaccinated, and with all my medical issues, this would be a far more dire situation. It’s not because I did, and I’m surviving this because I did. I hope anyone and everyone gets that message loud and clear.”
Unlike some of his colleagues on the opinion side of Fox News, Cavuto, 63, has never expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the vaccine or mandates requiring it. He has dismissed theories that drugs including ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were effective alternatives in treating the virus.
Cavuto’s statement also urged people to get the shot.
“Get vaccinated, for yourself and everyone around you,” he said. “Everyone wins, except maybe my wife, who thought I was back in the city for good for live shows. Maybe not so fast now.”
Cavuto hosts the daily afternoon program “Your World” and “Cavuto Live” Fox News and “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” on the Fox Business Network. He has been with Fox News since its launch in 1996.
Zoom and video conferencing, once a last resort for TV news shows, are here to stay.
The announcement on Cavuto’s condition came on the same day as an on-air revelation by CNN politics editor John King that he has multiple sclerosis and is immunocompromised as a result.
“I’m going to share a secret I’ve never shared before,” King said to the panel on his “Inside Politics” program. “I have multiple sclerosis. So I’m grateful you’re all vaccinated.”
King, 58, brought up his condition during a discussion about how the vaccine works in people with serious underlying medical conditions.
The topic arose Monday after the death of former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell, 84, was fully vaccinated but had been battling myeloma, a cancer of the blood cells, which weakened his ability to fight the virus.
The news of Powell’s death ignited discussion on conservative media outlets about the effectiveness of vaccinations, prompted in part by a tweet from Fox News anchor John Roberts, who deleted it shortly afterward.
Fox News had experts on throughout the day explaining to viewers that Powell’s death should not deter them from getting the vaccine.
But the anti-vaccine rhetoric returned in prime time when Fox News host Tucker Carlson, in his tribute to Powell, told viewers without any evidence they have been “lied to” and that “vaccines may be highly useful for some people, but across a population they do not solve COVID.”
Carlson noted Powell’s health problems at the end of his program.
Inside the business of entertainment
The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
