The Truth About Sean Hannity's Divorce

Conservative commentator Sean Hannity, the host of Fox News' Hannity since 2009, has divorced his wife, Jill Rhodes, after more than 20 years of marriage. The news of Hannity's divorce broke in June 2020, although sources close to the pair told Page Six they legally split a year before it became public knowledge. Rhodes and Hannity, who wed in 1993 and have two adult children together, were supposedly separated for "many years" before the official breakup, insiders claimed to the outlet.

After the divorce news became public, the exes' rep released a statement about their split to Us Weekly. "Sean and Jill are committed to working together for the best interests of their children. Amicable agreements were entered into over four years ago between Sean and Jill," the rep stated on June 3, 2020. "They maintain a close relationship as parents to their children. Neither will have any further comments and ask for the sake of their children that their privacy be respected."

Although Rhodes and Hannity have largely kept the details surrounding their marriage private, some sources have come forward to provide context for their breakup.

Sean Hannity grew up on Long Island in New York while his ex, Jill Rhodes, hails from Alabama. Some might assume the two didn't have much in common due to the stark differences in where they grew up, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. The sparks first flew when Hannity was working as a host at WVNN radio in Huntsville, Ala., and he developed a rapport with Rhodes, a then political columnist for the Huntsville Times, by "calling her up to solicit story ideas," according to People. As the outlet noted, "Hannity would amuse her with his frequent voicemail messages." The two finally met in 1992 at a "mayoral debate" Hannity "had set up," with Rhodes recalling of their first in-person meeting, "I looked at his face and I said, 'That is the man I'm going to marry.'"

Rhodes' prediction was right, and the pair tied the knot in 1993. They then welcomed their son, Patrick Hannity, in 1998, and their daughter, Merri Kelly, arrived in 2002.

Although the exes split their time between Long Island and Naples, Fla. for the duration of their marriage, Rhodes has ties to Virginia, as she's an online instructor for the state's Liberty University, per her LinkedIn profile.

As Jill Rhodes and Sean Hannity touched on in their joint statement, they plan to remain friends for the sake of their two kids. "Friends and family have known for years," a source told the Daily Mail about the amicable divorce. "Our families were together as recently as Christmas 2018 where Jill hosted his birthday party at their Florida home." They continued, "Sean and Jill are great parents when together you don't even realize they split. Jill's brother, Sean's brother-in-law, still works with Sean on his TV show."

A source reiterated this sentiment to Page Six, confirming that infidelity didn't play a role in the split. "[It] is very amicable. Sean and Jill remain on very good terms and still have family dinners, and attend tennis tournaments for their children," the insider revealed. "Sean is still close with members of Jill's family."

Of course, it's fair to wonder why the two broke up if they're such great friends.

Considering things seem to be great between Sean Hannity and Jill Rhodes, we have to wonder what led to their breakup in the first place. Hannity's work schedule may have played a role, as a source told the Daily Mail, "Personally the reason for the divorce, Sean does three hours of radio each day in the city followed by TV in primetime, his workload created a lot of time away and it was tough on the marriage." The insider continued, "Sean's a huge family man, this was hard on him. Sean came from nothing, had a workaholic upbringing, and between his shows, books, speeches he just didn't slow down, it, unfortunately, broke his marriage."

It's unclear whether the two have since found new partners, although it appears Hannity didn't mind "noticing" other women while he was married. "You can't not help notice attractive people!" he said in 2013 to a caller on his radio show, per Heavy. "And if you say you can, you're full of it."

Now that we've peeled back the layers on this breakup, take a minute to check out why these celebs pulled the trigger on their divorces.