NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Judge Jeanine Pirro has been hosting 'The Five' on Fox News for almost two years now. However, she has been a part of the Fox family for much longer than that.
Just before she joined the panel on Fox's most popular multi-host talk show, she used to have her own weekly show called 'Justice with Judge Jeanine'.
The blunt host, with her consistent personality on the Saturday appearances as well, was once suspended by the network for her controversial comments against a Democrat Representative in 2019.
Judge Jeanine Pirro once attacked Rep Ilhan Omar
The Democrat Rep who came under fire on Pirro's show was Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota representative and one of the first Muslim women to be elected to serve in Congress.
Pirro, while her solo show was still on, said Rep Omar was 'anti-Isreal'. Pirro said, "This is not who your party is. Your party is not anti-Isreal, she is."
"Think about this... she's not getting this anti-Israel sentiment doctrine from the Democrat Party. So if it's not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from?" Pirro had questioned the rep.
“Think about it... Omar wears a hijab, which, according to the Quran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won’t get molested,” Pirro had said, “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”
On these comments, the Judge went on to receive major backlash and balanced support which went on to affect her weekly show.
Fox News suspended Judge Jeanine Pirro after her controversial remarks
Fox News was quick to release a statement addressing Pirro's comments.
“We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar,” the statement said, “They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly," as per The Washington Post.
The network went on to suspend the judge for weeks after her comments aired, which Pirro had later addressed on Sebastian Gorka's show on Salem Radio Network, criticizing the network for reviewing her work too much, as per Media Matters.
"They suspended me, and I’m not going to get fired," she had said, "You know I’m worried that that suspension was the basis to tee up for anything I do wrong, they’ll fire me.”
Many sponsors of the show also went on to turn their backs on Pirro, pulling advertisements during the weekly show, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Jeanine Pirro's response and Donald Trump's support
In response to the backlash received across the media, Pirro tried to clear up her comments in a statement issued later.
"I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American," the judge had said, as per USA Today.
"My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course, because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution."
She also went on to add, "I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today."
Amid all the backlash, Pirro also received support from her long-time loyal friend former President Donald Trump.
In a tweet, Trump attacked the Democrats, writing, "Bring back @JudgeJeaninePirro. The Radical Left Democrats, working closely with their beloved partner, the Fake News Media, is using every trick in the book to SILENCE a majority of our Country."
Pirro's weekly show was eventually canceled in 2022, with no reason behind it revealed. Soon after, she joined a group of Fox News hosts on one of the most popular news shows 'The Five', as per Fox News Media.
