LOYAL OLD DOG HANNITY BEING OUTFOXED BY CUTTHROAT KIDS
FOX News fuddy-duddy Sean Hannity is being bested by dynamic network rivals Tucker Carlson and Jesse Watters in the ratings game — because the bombastic blowhard isn’t cut out for the network’s new media landscape, sources squeal. Tucker Carlson Tonight — FOX’s No. 1 prime-time program — helped knock the Hannity show from first to fourth place among network viewers.
Hannity’s once-dominant broadcast also fell behind the 5 p.m. panel show The Five — featuring Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld and Jeanine Pirro — and Jesse Watters Primetime! An insider dishes, “The world has changed around him, yet Sean and his show have changed very little over the past two decades. It’s hard for an old dog to learn new tricks. “Sean’s not comfortable doing the stuff Tucker and Jesse enjoy. He cares what people think about him.” Another source puts it more bluntly: “Tucker and Jesse have no shame. All they care about is ratings.”
Hannity soared to the top of the FOX heap after bigshot Bill O’Reilly was socked by sexual harassment claims. O’Reilly denied any wrongdoing — despite paying out millions in settlements — but was still ousted in 2017, paving the way for Sean’s show to become the most watched on the conservativeleaning channel.
Crafty Hannity, 60, also bolstered his ratings by exploiting his connection with former President Donald Trump and frequently interviewed the commander-in-chief while he was in office.
But sources point out the ex-prez hasn’t appeared on Hannity’s show for over three months!
A tipster snipes: “Sean has never had the killer instinct. All those years he was behind Bill O’Reilly, he was perfectly happy.
“He wasn’t plotting to bring down Bill — or take his crown. Sean is happy to be less exposed.”
Still, former pundit turned critic Matthew Sheffield has blasted Hannity as a “cheerleader.”
Sheffield huffs, “He just wants to have the same guests on all the time, talking about the same things.”
However, a spokesperson for FOX News points out Hannity has been on the air for 26 years and still brings in enviable audience numbers — and gushes no other host in the industry has his “longevity and staying power!”
Also, the square-jawed star has attracted 7 percent more viewers — even as his ranking slipped, a FOX insider said.
Meanwhile, sources snitch gleeful Carlson, 53, is gloating over CNN, his former TV home, being crushed in the ratings by its cable news competitors FOX and MSNBC — which could spell trouble for the floundering channel’s high-profile hosts Anderson Cooper, 55, and Don Lemon, 56!
Another insider squeals, “Anderson and Don could soon be on the chopping block!”