A leaked video shows Sean Hannity, anchor for Fox News, smoking an e-cigarette while he was waiting for his next segment.
Hannity is a major figure on Fox News, and also a published author, as well as a political commentator, but the leaked video shows him doing something he would prefer to be kept private. In the video, the news anchor fidgets a little, drinks some water and takes what, at first, looks like a regular cigarette from his desk. He then puffs on the cigarette.
There is no evidence to identify when the leaked segment was taped, but it looks to be recent.
The newsman is not the only public media figure who has been caught displaying potentially inappropriate behaviour between broadcast segments. Just a few days ago, Lawrence O'Donnell from MSNBC was caught on camera. In that segment, he was visibly angry and was shown shouting at people in the studio.
No stranger to controversy
Hannity has courted controversy time and time again. A self-confessed right-wing voice, he has been at the centre of problematic issues many times. Earlier this year, a liberal advocacy group asked advertisers to boycott his show. In the event, the only company to remove itself from advertising with the show was the car company Cadillac. Land Rover, another car company, is not currently advertising on the show but has stated that this is not due to a boycott of any kind.
However, a number of advertisers have apparently told a media watchdog that they are planning to remove advertising soon.
Hannity has a loyal following on the channel. In August of this year, for example, he managed to pull in 2.7 million viewers. At the same time, there is strong opposition to him and his views. A special website has been created (FireHannity.org) in an effort to remove him from TV schedules, but after an initial surge in traffic to the site in the summer, there are now only a few hits every day.
The news anchor has also been involved in controversy around President Trump. Trump has recently been embroiled in a scandal around reports that he had liaised with Russian officials and shared or received information that was relevant and allegedly instrumental in his winning the Presidential election. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, was on an episode of 'Hannity', and the President openly promoted the interview
Here's forty seconds you'll never get back... pic.twitter.com/ChLCP0P5um
— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) 26 September 2017
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In a bizarre turn of events, the video was leaked on Twitter by the TV personality Harry Shearer (known for playing 'Mr. Burns' on The Simpsons).
