Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity Becomes Longest-Running Host In Cable News History

Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity hits a milestone today: a consecutive 25 years, six months and 15 days in his role as part of Fox’s top-rated prime time lineup, which earns him the title of the longest-running host in cable news history, breaking the record set by CNN’s Larry King. “I am extremely grateful to Fox News Media and to our loyal, dedicated viewers whom I am proud to serve every night,” Hannity said in a statement released by the network.

Hannity joined Fox’s prime time lineup in 1996, as co-host of Hannity & Colmes, which pitted the conservative Hannity against the liberal Alan Colmes, which went head-to-head with Larry King Live, eventually overtaking King in the ratings.

In 2009, Hannity became the solo host of the 9 p.m. hour on Fox News, which became Hannity, a consistent performer for the network, and from 2017 to 2019 the highest-rated show in all of cable news. Hannity currently draws more than 3 million viewers each night, easily winning the 9 p.m. hour and placing the show among the top five most-watched shows in cable news.

Last August, Hannity’s live interview with former President Donald Trump drew an audience of more than 5.2 million viewers, dominating the Nielsen cable news ratings for the day.

In a 2018 interview, I asked Hannity about his fiercely loyal viewers. “Irredeemable deplorables that cling to their Bibles and religion,” he said with a laugh before turning serious. “I have a natural passion that drove me into this business and gets me up in the morning. And the untold story about who I am … is that I am the forgotten man, the forgotten woman.”

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As for his critics—who at the time accused Hannity of using his top-rated show to boost Donald Trump—Hannity told me “the amount of time I spend caring about it is zero. I don’t care…I try to be the most informed person I can be. We work really hard at getting things right, and I don’t mind being separate and apart from everybody else at all. In fact, I kind of relish it.”