Fox News host Sean Hannity delivered a stunning public apology to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on his new podcast, calling himself an “a******” for his brutal attacks on the Pennsylvania Democrat during the 2022 campaign season.
The unexpected mea culpa came during Fetterman’s appearance on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast on March 17, 2026, where the conservative commentator acknowledged he had the senator “all wrong” and sought to make amends for years of harsh criticism.
“I really thought you were somebody you’re not. I did not know you,” Hannity told Fetterman. “We talked that day, you were really cool about it.”
The apology wasn’t entirely new. Hannity first approached Fetterman at Mar-a-Lago in January 2025 when Donald Trump was still President-elect. The Fox host had traveled to Trump’s resort to see New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft when Trump unexpectedly invited him to join a meeting with the senator and his wife.
During that initial encounter, Hannity walked up to Fetterman and delivered a blunt assessment of his own behavior. He told the senator he should hate him and admitted he’d been an “a******” during the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race, where Fetterman defeated Hannity’s close friend, Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The campaign had turned vicious. Hannity threatened to sue Fetterman in 2022 for allegedly lying about him after the Democrat rejected an invitation to appear on his show. The conservative host played clips of Fetterman struggling to speak due to effects from a near-fatal stroke, declaring him “unfit” for office. He branded Fetterman a “lying loser” and accused him of ducking debates with Oz.
That debate eventually happened, with Fetterman visibly affected by his stroke recovery. But the Democrat had his own ammunition, relentlessly hammering Oz as a carpetbagger who actually lived in New Jersey rather than Pennsylvania. Even Hannity couldn’t resist poking fun at his friend on the podcast for saying “crudité” instead of “veggie plate” on the campaign trail—a gaffe that became instant fodder for Fetterman’s team.
On the podcast, Fetterman brushed off the past tensions with characteristic bluntness. He framed the campaign trash talk as the “pro wrestling” aspect of political battles, noting he doesn’t carry grudges. The senator immediately accepted Hannity’s apology when they first met at Mar-a-Lago, prompting the Fox host to reflect on his own behavior.
Fetterman responded graciously, saying the apology wasn’t even necessary but that it was gracious of Hannity to offer it. The senator noted he’s received sharp criticism for reaching out across the political aisle, with his meeting with Trump particularly enraging some fellow Democrats and supporters.
Pennsylvania Democrats have erupted in anger over Fetterman’s moves. Protesters took to the streets in February 2025, with one attendee saying, “It seems like as soon as he went to Mar-a-Lago, things changed. He went down to kiss the ring.” Fetterman is the only Democratic senator to have traveled to Trump’s estate for a meeting.
The warming relationship between the unlikely pair reflects Fetterman’s increasing willingness to break with Democratic orthodoxy. Hannity introduced him as “the only normal Democrat in Washington”—a characterization rooted in Fetterman’s support for many Trump administration policies, including the ongoing war in Iran. Fetterman has supported Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israel military strikes against Tehran, declaring himself “literally the only Democrat in America, in Congress” backing the effort to destroy the Iranian regime.
During their podcast conversation, Fetterman even praised Oz as “undeniably a brilliant guy” and joked that he’d let the celebrity doctor operate on him. He didn’t push back when Hannity praised Oz for being “brave” in offering alternatives to the COVID vaccine.
The transformation from bitter political enemies to podcast buddies marks a remarkable shift. In 2022, these two men were locked in a proxy war, with Hannity using his prime-time platform to attack Fetterman’s fitness for office while the Democrat’s campaign painted Oz as an out-of-touch celebrity carpetbagger.
Now they’re swapping stories and compliments, with Hannity promising to keep their Mar-a-Lago conversations off the record and Fetterman maintaining that fostering a “good relationship” with President Trump matters more than partisan loyalty.
The public apology marks a rare moment of contrition from Hannity, who built his career on aggressive partisan commentary. Whether it signals a broader shift in political discourse or simply reflects Fetterman’s unique position as a Democrat willing to embrace Trump, the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race—once defined by bitter attacks and personal animosity—has evolved into an unlikely friendship built on mutual respect and shared conversations at the president’s Florida estate.