Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt Has Seriously Transformed

When Melania Trump wanted to give her first televised interview in more than two years in 2024, there was only ever one reporter she was going to trust. Ainsley Earhardt also presided over the model-turned-First Lady's first joint chat with Donald Trump in 2017 and she's built her reputation on championing the 45th president and the rest of his family at any given opportunity.

The high-profile chat was just another landmark moment for the conservative who's risen through the ranks of the Fox News network since joining in the mid-2000s. But rubbing shoulders with political dynasties is a far cry from the South Carolina upbringing in which her parents had to take on several jobs just to make ends meet. So how did Earhardt get her start in journalism? Why is she always going viral? And why has she become a regular of the tabloids herself? Here's a look at her remarkable transformation.

Ainsley Earhardt has one acting credit to her name: she played herself in the 2020 festive TV movie "Christmas in the Rockies." However, the Fox News regular's IMDb page may have looked a lot busier had she pursued her initial career ambition.

Indeed, before becoming one of America's most famous conservative TV news hosts, Earhardt dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. "Growing up I used to watch all these movies and award shows that took place in New York and LA, or were aired from either city and I was drawn to the glamor," she explained in a chat with Charleston.com. "At an early age I wanted to be famous, which is why I initially thought of taking up acting."

Earhardt still had thespian aspirations until her early twenties when she was finally convinced by her parents that the Los Angeles life might not be for her. The University of South Carolina graduate has since seen herself on the big screen, though. Just not as she quite intended, perhaps. In 2019, she was portrayed by Alice Eve in the dramatization of the Roger Ailes scandal, "Bombshell."

Acting isn't the only profession Ainsley Earhardt very nearly pursued instead of journalism. After graduating from South Carolina's Spring Valley High School, she studied biology at Florida State University with the intention of becoming an orthodontist.

But while Earhardt enjoyed the student life, she didn't enjoy the studies. And while watching Leeza Gibbons talk about her journalism degree at the University of South Carolina, the future "Fox & Friends" host experienced an epiphany. She subsequently transferred to the same hometown institution, and the rest is conservative news history.

Earhardt, who returned to her alma mater in 2018 for an episode of "Fox & Friends," has often expressed her gratitude for the education she received. "I got my start at the University of South Carolina and will forever be indebted to the journalism school and all of my professors," she gushed on USC's official website. "They believed in me from the beginning and taught me everything I needed to know to pursue my career. I love living in Manhattan, but will always remember my roots as a South Carolina Gamecock."

Ainsley Earhardt first appeared on screen at the turn of the century when she was appointed as a reporter for her hometown network, WLTX's 11 p.m. show. After two years of covering everything from politics to pet tigers, the conservative was promoted to the position of morning news anchor alongside radio DJ Curtis Wilson. But the future Fox News regular wasn't initially overcome with excitement about the move.

Speaking to Columbia Metropolitan, Earhardt admitted that she gave her boss Larry Audas a hard time on first hearing the news: "I told him I was a hard news person; I wanted to cover the accidents and the political stories. I didn't think I was funny and didn't want to cover the fluffy pieces. I was a blonde woman and wanted to be taken seriously."

But Audas' decision proved to be a masterstroke and "WLTX News 19 Morning Show" soon became the second most-viewed in the area. And Wilson had nothing but kind things to say about Earhardt while discussing their years working together with Elle: "How can you not like Ainsley? ... People might try to single her out because she works for Fox News, but no one who actually knew her then says anything negative."

Ainsley Earhardt first walked down the aisle in 2005 with a man she first met while studying at the University of South Carolina. Kevin McKinney graduated a year earlier with an applied professional sciences degree and went on to co-found Medical Sleeve LLC, a firm specializing in compression devices, while working at the Bank of America.

The college sweethearts tied the knot at South Carolina's First Presbyterian Church in front of their nearest and dearest. And they certainly didn't skimp on the guest list as Earhardt had 11 bridesmaids, while McKinney chose the same number of groomsmen. They also decided to honeymoon in style, enjoying a getaway in the sun-soaked Turks and Caicos.

Sadly, their love story didn't get a happy ending. Amid rumors of infidelity, the couple divorced in 2009. According to his LinkedIn page, McKinney has remained within the medical profession, working as a GYN specialist for medical device distributor Ethicon, Inc. and oncological sales specialist for pharmaceutical firm Eisai US.

During her two-year stint at Texas' KENS-TV, Ainsley Earhardt caught the attention of Fox News head honcho Roger Ailes and in 2007, she was offered a job at the conservative network. And the CEO continued to champion her flourishing career, describing her (via The Seattle Times) as "a superb team player and an excellent on-air host" following her "Fox & Friends" appointment in 2016.

It's perhaps little surprise, therefore, that Earhardt felt the need to publicly defend Ailes when he found himself at the center of several sexual harassment lawsuits in 2016. "I want the public to know that this is a man with a really good heart," she told People after the allegations made by former colleague Gretchen Carlson first came to light. "In my experience, he has had my best interest in mind and he has my family's best interest in mind. He's just a legend, and I don't want his reputation smeared because he's worked really hard to just give all of us such a great life. He really cares about other people."

Earhardt was equally effusive about Ailes, a man also accused of fostering a deeply misogynistic workplace, following his death a year later at the age of 77. "Many people out there would say that he saved this country by starting the Fox News Channel," she gushed in an on-air tribute (via The Guardian).

Nowadays, Ainsley Earhardt might be better known for sitting at a newsdesk or sofa, discussing events from a highly conservative perspective. But before joining "Fox & Friends," she was very much a go-getting frontline reporter. The University of South Carolina graduate covered everything from Pope Francis' visit to the Big Apple and kidnapper Ariel Castro's Cleveland arrest to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the EF5 tornado in Oklahoma during her years on the ground.

Earhardt has still been able to leave the Fox studio from time to time in recent years, too. In fact, she's often been flown over to Buckingham Palace to report on various royal family events, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, the Platinum Jubilee celebration, and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

And Earhardt still relishes the opportunities she gets to spread her wings. "Some days you'll have your show, then you'll have a couple interviews after," she told South in 2020. "Or you have to jump on a plane to go to Washington to interview the president. Or you have to fly to do Super Bowl coverage in Miami," she said. "You always have to have your bags packed and be ready to say, 'Yes, I'll go.'"

Ainsley Earhardt showed she's a woman of many talents in 2016 when she published a children's picture book that raced to the top of The New York Times bestseller list, "Take Heart, My Child: A Mother's Dream". Proving that it wasn't a fluke, she's continued to enjoy literary success with 2017's "Through Your Eyes: My Child's Gift to Me" and 2022's "I'm So Glad You Were Born: Celebrating Who You Are".

As a devout Christian, each of her books is filled with faith-affirming themes. In an interview with CBN, Earhardt said, "I really feel like God chose me for this position because he wanted me to be bold and wanted me to share the gospel. And Fox allows that and now with these children's books, sharing the message to children to the next generation, which is so important is just such an honor."

And Earhardt also continued to preach the gospel with her inspirational 2018 memoir, "The Light Within Me." "When I realize I've come through so much, good and bad, because of my relationship with Christ, I can't hide that light within me," she told Publishers Weekly on how the book came about. "I want to be honest about my faith, but not preachy, for my viewers and my readers."

In 2012, Ainsley Earhardt walked down the aisle for a second time, on this occasion to William Proctor, a Neuberger Berman financier who used to play quarterback for Clemson University. Seven years later, the Earhardt headed for the divorce courts for the second time, too.

"After much prayer and careful consideration, Will and I have separated," Earhardt revealed in a statement (via People) before thanking Fox for their support on the matter and asking for "privacy and prayers." Shortly after, the New York Post (via Page Six) claimed that the split had been caused by infidelity on Proctor's part. But Proctor, who shares daughter Hayden with the TV personality, told the same site that these allegations were completely untrue.

"I am disappointed that this private matter has become public," Proctor added before appearing to confirm that the separation had been his wife's idea. "I remain focused on and committed to being the best dad and maintaining a friendship with my wife even though she has decided to move on. I am devastated about this situation and did not envision this for the future of our family."

Ainsley Earhardt's career reached new heights in 2016 when she was chosen to replace Elisabeth Hasselbeck as new co-host of Fox's flagship show "Fox & Friends." The journalism graduate had already enjoyed some experience of the role having previously served as a fill-in, and she'd also presented early morning show "Fox & Friends First."

"I am grateful for this opportunity and am thrilled to join Steve [Doocy] and Brian [Kilemade] on the curvy couch to deliver Americans their morning news," Earhardt said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter) on her appointment, referring to her co-hosts. The University of South Carolina graduate has interviewed the likes of President Donald Trump and his friend-turned-nemesis Vice President Mike Pence, while during the lockdown stages of the pandemic, she continued to give American conservatives their daily news from Sean Hannity's home studio.

And judging by the ratings, Earhardt has been a huge hit with audiences. "Like the bosses have always said, you need to be yourself," she explained to Business Insider about the show's continued popularity. "It could affect your career, but our ratings have never been better and so our audience is loving what we're giving them and what we're presenting."

"There is a need to represent middle America, and I think we do that," Ainsley Earhardt once told the Associated Press (via Salon) about her role on Fox News back in 2018. "With that comes the support of the president." And there's certainly proof to back that up.

Indeed, Donald Trump had already appeared on "Fox & Friends" four times since winning the presidential election by that point. He also chose Earhardt to conduct his first joint interview with First Lady Melania Trump since taking office and no doubt inspired his lavish-living daughter, Ivanka Trump, to do the same. And he's even helped promote her memoir, tweeting, "Ainsley Earhardt, a truly great person, just wrote a wonderful book, 'The Light Within Me,' which is doing really well ... bring it to number one!"

And it seems as though Earhardt always has Donald's back, too. While discussing a disparaging New York Times piece about his financial failings on "Fox & Friends," Earhardt managed to see the positive side, gushing, "If anything, you read this and you're like, 'wow, it's pretty impressive, all the things that he's done in his life.' It's beyond what most of us could ever achieve."

In 2018, Ainsley Earhardt went viral for all the wrong reasons when she mistakenly claimed on "Fox & Friends" that America's victory over "communist Japan" in the Second World War made America great (via The Standard). Japan, of course, had been an Axis nation at the time, and despite co-host Steve Doocy trying to hide the gaffe, the damage was done. This wasn't the first or the last time that the conservative found herself being talked about for failing to get her facts straight, either.

That same year, she came under fire for describing images of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as very romantic. A few years later in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Earhardt completely contradicted the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's official guidelines by claiming (via The Week) that it was "actually the safest time to fly." And in 2021, she was ridiculed for incorrectly correlating Jewish festival Hannukah with the Christmas tree.

In a 2020 interview with Evie, Earhardt acknowledged her shortcomings: "I'm not always perfect. I'm far from perfect. I make mistakes, but when I do I'm quick to say I'm sorry. I want to be that kind of person."

In the summer of 2015, Ainsley Earhardt became a mother for the first time when she and then-husband Will Proctor welcomed daughter Hayden into the world. She soon showed off her pride and joy, taking her on to the set of "Fox & Friends" just a few months later. 

Speaking to Yahoo!'s series So Mini Ways in 2021, Earhardt revealed that she has a very different parenting technique from her father, a committed disciplinarian who spent 20 years in the military: "I'm strict with Hayden, but I want her to love her life and I want our home to be such a happy place for her ... I want all the kids at my house and I want to be that oasis — that house that has the good food or the best costumes or the fun playroom."

Earhardt tragically suffered a miscarriage before falling pregnant with Hayden. And so, she's keen to appreciate every single moment they share, no matter how testing they may be: "You'll have those long days where your child won't go to sleep and you're exhausted and you're trying your hardest not to lose your cool with your child before she goes to sleep," she added. "But those days are still worth it. I would much rather have those days than not have days at all."

After much speculation, Vanity Fair appeared to verify in 2020 that Ainsley Earhardt and Sean Hannity were indeed an item. The magazine spoke to four staffers, past and present, who revealed that the rumors were very much true. "I knew they were involved," claimed one anonymous source. "I saw it when we were all together."

Tongues had started wagging when Earhardt, who recently went viral for a make-up free snap, began broadcasting from the basement of Hannity's Long Island home during the pandemic. And they added fuel to the fire when they attended the wedding of colleagues Pete Hegseth and Jennifer Rauchet together via the rather indiscreet method of helicopter.

Hannity refused to comment on the matter in a brief statement through a spokesperson for Fox News. Yet, Earhardt decided to outright deny the relationship in a separate statement: "Right now I am focused on raising my daughter. As anyone at Fox News will tell you, Sean is a wonderful person and whomever he chooses to date will be extremely fortunate." But this appeared to be a case of doth protest too much, as over the next four years, they were continually pictured by each other's sides. And in 2024, the Daily Mail reported via an insider that despite Hannity's relocation to Florida from New York, the pair remained committed to a long-distance romance. "Those two have always been in it for the long haul since they fell in love — only now the haul will be a bit longer."