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Comedian Francis Ellis—a regular Fox News guest best known for blogging for Barstool Sports—was caught on a hot mic criticizing the right-wing news network after wrapping up an episode of the Barstool Rundown podcast.
Full, unedited audio containing Ellis' comments was published online by Barstool and then quickly taken down—but not before the audio was captured by the political news site Mediaite.
Ellis can be heard chatting with co-hosts about a recent appearance he made on the program of Fox News personality Jesse Watters and saying he felt "disappointed with [himself]" for appearing on a network that is "just trafficking in hate."
The audio of his remarks is included below.
\u201c\u201cThey\u2019re just trafficking in hate.\u201d Regular Fox News guest, and Barstool Sports star Francis Ellis, caught on hot mic slamming Fox News, Fox News hosts, and the Fox News audience. (Via Mediaite and Barstool Rundown)\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1670442522
Ellis said:
"I got home, I talked to my wife about it [his appearance on Watters' program] because I was disappointed in myself and she was like, ‘Let’s be honest, like, do you want to be working with these f**king people?’”
“She was like, ‘I watched the rest of his show and... he's a f**king joke.' ...
"That and when like [Fox News personality Tucker Carlson] comes on and just screams... it's so weird. They're just trafficking in hate."
Ellis went on to say he "went into a place that I shouldn’t have gone to" because he'd irresponsibly regurgitated conspiracy theories about Democrats "eating children beneath pizza shops," a direct reference to "Pizzagate," a debunked conspiracy theory targeting Democrats that claimed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ran a pedophilia ring out of the basement of a pizza restaurant that didn't have a basement.
The comedian expressed regret about misleading viewers during his recent appearance on Watters' program because “there are people watching that who don’t know that I’m f**king with them" and told his Barstool colleague Adam Ferrone that he's "not here to further divide the country.
The audio of Ellis' remarks soon went viral and confirmed what many have long said about Fox's knack for stoking faux conservative outrage.
\u201cit\u2019s gotta be tough when you think someone is \u201cone of us\u201d but ended up just taking a huge check to pander to you while secretly mocking you and (correctly) calling you all stupid, hateful idiots.\u201d— enjoyer (NYT official fact checker) (@enjoyer (NYT official fact checker)) 1670596668
\u201cTruth is always hard for those living in delusions.\u201d— Debra4Truth (@Debra4Truth) 1670594846
\u201cWow. Yes, he's admitting Fox News traffics in hate and further divides the country, yet they go on there for money and fame.\u201d— Sharla Loberg (@Sharla Loberg) 1670531033
\u201cEven the staff at @FoxNews can\u2019t stand the network and it\u2019s audience.\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Dee Em (@Dee Em) 1670568550
\u201cNot sure which is the funniest part. The part where the Fox News employee admits "They\u2019re just trafficking in hate," the part where he calls the anchors a "joke" or the part where he calls Fox News viewers "stupid."\u201d— Kent Hohlfeld (@Kent Hohlfeld) 1670520711
\u201cWhat does it say about your moral compass when you publicly take the $ while privately condemning said hate platform? I\u2019d include the adult family members living off said $.\u201d— ForTheGreaterGoodWorks@fermayo (@ForTheGreaterGoodWorks@fermayo) 1670513817
\u201c\u201cThey\u2019re just trafficking in hate\u201d; truer words were never spoken.\u201d— Roch Lester \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Roch Lester \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1670518093
\u201cFinally - a fair and balanced look at @FoxNews \n\nUnfortunately, not enough of the far-right will listen to have a meaningful impact...BUT...if more and more of these types of incidents come out, surely it has to a deteriorating effect on the conspiracies over time, right??\u201d— Rev. Dr. JJ Dyken (@Rev. Dr. JJ Dyken) 1670510630
\u201cHe's not wrong.\u201d— ScotchBonnet\ud83d\udc99 \ud83d\udc7e \ud83c\udf36 (@ScotchBonnet\ud83d\udc99 \ud83d\udc7e \ud83c\udf36) 1670513227
Ellis has not commented on the audio and neither has Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, himself a regular Fox News guest.
In its report of Ellis' unguarded remarks, Mediaitesaid Ellis "probably should have known what he was getting into by appearing on Fox News, even if they are finally throwing Donald Trump to the curb — as if that wasn’t clearing one of the lowest bars possible."
Mediaite refered to recent pushback from conservatives who appeared on Fox News to excoriate Trump after he called for the termination of the United States Constitution, comments that have inflamed tensions toward a network that has regularly pushed Trump's "Big Lie" that the 2020 general election was stolen.