Fox News Host Shuts Down 'Disgusting Lie' About Her Family Amid Attacks From MAGA

Fox News host Jessica Tarlov slammed a “disgusting lie” about her family that was posted on social media this week. And one licensed mental health counselor said that the attacks on Tarlov shed light on a common “deeply misogynistic” attack.

Tarlov, the resident Democrat on Fox News show “The Five,” responded to a post on X that accused her of infidelity.

“Jessica slept with her current husband (right) while still married to her first husband (left),” read the post from an X account called “Bad Hombre.” The post featured a photo of Tarlov with her husband, Brian McKenna, and one of their two children.

“Lollll absolutely not true,” Tarlov wrote. “But appreciate [you] covering my baby’s face - respectful even as you spread a disgusting lie.”

Tarlov faced waves of right-wing backlash after she called out the GOP on X on Thursday for purporting to champion “family values” amid news that Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton (R) filed for divorce from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Angela Paxton said in a statement that she filed for divorce after nearly four decades of marriage on “biblical grounds” and in light of “recent discoveries.”

Ken Paxton, who is currently campaigning in the Republican primary for a seat in the U.S. Senate, was previously accused of having an affair with a donor’s employee during his 2023 state impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted of corruption charges.

But Tarlov’s critique as a political commentator, suggesting that the Republican Party’s messaging on “family values” is riddled with hypocrisy, sparked crude, misogynistic and derogatory personal attacks directed at her and her romantic relationships.

Some X users responded to the liberal Fox News host by calling her a “cheating whore,” a “ho” and a “home wrecker,” among other disparaging attacks.

Hallie Kritsas, a licensed mental health counselor and therapist with Thriveworks who specializes in self-esteem, told HuffPost that the attacks on Tarlov serve as a “clear example of how women in the public eye, especially in politics or commentary, are often targeted in deeply gendered ways.”

“For women, especially those who are outspoken, often others undermine their credibility through personal or sexualized attacks,” she said.

People often attack or accuse women of being unfaithful as a way to reinforce gendered power dynamics. 

Kritsas said that attacking women for being unfaithful in their relationships — whether it’s true or not — or criticizing them for having multiple sexual partners, seems to be a common line of attack that’s “deeply misogynistic.”

“This is especially as it is a move that works to discredit, shame or control them. These accusations seem to do little with the actual truth and more to do with reinforcing gendered power dynamics. It also punishes women for autonomy or any perceived independence,” she said.

Kritsas said that society tends to be harsher on women for both actual and perceived infidelity.

“And even when accusations are unfounded, women can still face intense judgment and shame in ways that men typically do not,” she said. “Culturally, it is expected that women are to be the emotional and moral anchors in relationships and to be loyal and nurturing. So when they ‘deviate,’ away from it, it can trigger a backlash in society.”

Overall, Kritsas explained that instances of infidelity with men tend to be “downplayed” or “normalized.” And that’s due to “a double standard that comes from longstanding gender norms and patriarchal ideas equating women’s value with her sexual behavior and loyalty.”

The imbalance in expectations among men and women is reflected in the way society seeks to control women’s bodies and their choices, she added.

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