Fox News host Jeanine Pirro went quiet during an episode of The Five on Tuesday after co-host Jessica Tarlov brought up her purported vaccination status.
During a segment discussing social media companies’ efforts to combat COVID-19 misinformation, Tarlov, the show’s sole Democrat, was interrupted with a sarcastic “Oh” by Pirro after stating that “the vaccine is safe for you.”
“Oh? Well, what do you mean?” Tarlov asked. “You’re fine. You’re vaccinated.”
Following several moments of silence from the whole panel, which included three other conservative hosts known for their anti-vaccine remarks, Tarlov questioned why Pirro had no response.
“It’s your turn,” Tarlov said.
“It’s your segment,” Pirro replied after a short pause.
The Fox Corporation in late 2021 required its employees in New York City to be vaccinated, reportedly leading to more than 90 percent of the company’s staff receiving the shot.
Fox News has declined to reveal the vaccination status of Pirro, who thus far has not attempted to refute Tarlov’s claim.
The awkward silence from the normally rambunctious host quickly went viral on social media, where users called out what they saw as hypocrisy from Pirro.
“Whoa. She outs that Jeanine creep,” one user wrote. “Make no mistake, anyone on that set has been vaccinated.”
Others simply expressed shock at the fact that someone was able to silence Pirro.
“Never thought I would ever see Jeanine speechless,” another said.
Outside of Pirro’s critics, anti-vaccine conservatives have been largely quiet on the viral moment.
Pirro in 2020 stated that she would not take the vaccine during an interview with YouTube show London Real.
“You know, until you tell me that that vaccine is safe—and only time will tell—until you tell me what the long-term consequences of that vaccine are, I’m not interested in putting it in my body,” she said.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
Source: https://www.dailydot.com/debug/jeanine-pirro-vaccine-silent-covid-jessica-tarlov/