In 2020, it was reported that Fox host Sean Hannity and his ex-wife, Jill Rhodes, had actually divorced a year earlier after being separated for a few years. Then, more news came out: it seems that Sean has also been dating one of his cohosts, Ainsley Earhardt, for years.

It’s likely that a lot of Sean’s viewers feel strongly about the “sanctity” and “importance” of marriage, so it’s not surprising that the news is upsetting a lot of people. Both Ainsley and Sean have, of course, given fake denials.

Ainsley told Fox through a spokesperson, “Right now, I’m focused on raising my daughter, and I’m not seeing anyone.” Anyone at Fox News will tell you that Sean is a great guy, and whoever he dates will be very lucky.” Kevin McKinney was Ainsley’s ex-husband. They were married for four years before they split up in 2009.

Instead of denying it, Sean Hannity just made a statement that doesn’t confirm or deny anything. “I don’t talk about my private life in front of other people.”

But a source told People that the cohosts are pretty much a well-known fact at work. “They’ve been seeing each other in secret for years,” the source said. “He’s very private because he’s famous and controversial, but it’s no secret that they’ve been dating.”

Sean’s home studio is where Ainsley records episodes for Fox, and she may be renting a house near his. The source said that their relationship has been going on for years, which means they were dating while Sean was still legally married. “They’re always together, but only when they’re alone.”

Most of Sean Hannity’s viewers are politically conservative, and they usually have strong ideas about what it means to be married and what marriage is all about. Last year, the Institute for Family Studies found that 62% of self-identified conservatives in the United States are married, compared to 39% of liberals and 46% of moderates.

Kevin was Ainsley’s college sweetheart. They met at the University of South Carolina, where they both went to school. She started working for Fox in 2007, and when they broke up in 2009, there were rumors that one or both of them had been unfaithful. No one ever said that the rumors were true or false.

Ainsley got married again after she and her first husband split up. She married Will Proctor in 2012, but in October 2018, she asked for a divorce. In 2019, they were no longer married. They have a daughter together, Hayden, who is supposedly the only thing on Ainsley’s mind.

Ainsley told People that she was going out, but that she wasn’t too focused on dating. She said, “I’ve been on a few dates and met some great people, but I think for now I just want to take a step back and be with Hayden.”

Obviously, the new rumors make this look very different.

Ainsley has also said that if it works out, she would be open to having more children. “I’ve never said this out loud, but I’ve frozen my eggs in case I want to have more kids. I had Hayden so late in life, and I’m in my 40s now, so I’d be totally open to that. It would be great if I met someone with a lot of kids.”

Sean Hannity and Jill Rhodes have a 21-year-old son named Sean and an 18-year-old daughter named Merri. If Sean and Ainsley are really together, they might have to start over when it comes to having kids.

Sean and Jill said they were getting a divorce last week in a joint statement that said their kids are the most important thing to them.

“Sean and Jill have decided to work together for the good of their kids. Sean and Jill made agreements that were good for both of them more than four years ago. As parents, they have a close relationship with each other. Neither will say anything else, and they ask that their privacy be respected for the sake of their children.”

If Sean and Ainsley have been together for “years,” as the source says, it goes against Sean Hannity’s conservative views about marriage, which he often talks about on his show. As a man who has spoken harshly about the marriage rights of others, it is interesting to think that he may not have been very committed to his own marriage to begin with.