Fox News personality Harris Faulkner was mocked online after she claimed people of (Christian) faith are facing persecution for saying grace in restaurants, a statement many deemed an attempt to manufacture outrage over a non-issue.
Faulkner urged viewers to be "bold" in their faith and openly pray in public spaces before sharing a personal anecdote in which she alleged she was kicked out of an establishment because her server and the restaurant manager witnessed her praying over her meal.
You can hear what Faulkner said in the video below.
\u201cFaulkner: I've been asked to leave a restaurant for openly bowing my head in prayer hands.. in America\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
Faulkner said:
"For those of us who believe, we must be bold in our faith right now. When you gather in public spaces, pray thankfully over your food—even when the server gives you the stink eye or tells the manager that your peaceful grace is triggering them."
"I had it happen to me. I've been asked to leave a restaurant for openly bowing my head in prayer hands—in America. It's all good. They don't deserve my money anyway."
However, Faulkner's claims quickly drew criticism from Twitter users who accused her of sensationalizing and amplifying a non-existent problem.
Many stated her assertion of faith persecution in restaurants was an attempt to create fake outrage and sow division.
Critics pointed out there is no evidence to support her claim Christians are being persecuted for saying grace in restaurants.
They said Faulkner's statement was part of a pattern on Fox News and Fox Business, where exaggerated narrativesor outright lies are often presented as news or commentary to rile up their viewers.
The mockery was swift.
\u201c@Acyn Tonight on: \u201cThings that never happened.\u201d\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
\u201c@Acyn\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
\u201c@Acyn Oh yeah, well as long as we\u2019re all making up stuff that totally happened, I was once shot out of a cannon for not wearing a Trump hat at a performance by the London Philharmonic!\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
\u201c@Acyn The problem with "anecdotal evidence" is people who are pathological liars have zero credibility when they present it.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
\u201c@ScottPh77711570 @Acyn Lmao nothing didn\u2019t happen harder than this. \n\nEveryone universally loves quiet people in restaurants.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
\u201c@Acyn I'm surprised something like this didn't make the news. \ud83d\ude44\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
\u201c@Acyn Of all the things that didn't happen, this didn't happen the most.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
\u201c@Acyn No she hasn\u2019t. And I\u2019m surprised her cross earrings haven\u2019t spontaneously combusted by now.\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1686010364
As of now, neither Faulkner nor Fox News has responded to the backlash sparked by Faulkner's comments.
Faulkner went on to assert that Christian faith is “under attack" and suggested the alleged attack against her in the restaurant was a turning point.
She said conservatives "are in a spiritual fight for the soul of America" and that "the Devil has gotten into some people" before declaring that her "pronouns are U.S.A.”