Fox News host Sean Hannity spent the final seconds of his Thursday interview with former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doing a bit of on-air career counseling — and he already had a title picked out.
Leavitt appeared on Hannity’s primetime program to deliver her customary praise of President Donald Trump. As the segment wrapped, the host floated the idea that she could front a news-network show of her own.
“How does it sound, The Briefing With Karoline Leavitt? How do you like the sound of that?” Hannity asked.
The pitch was a tease, not an announcement — and the title was a wink at the competition. MS NOW airs the primetime show “The Briefing With Jen Psaki,” hosted by Jen Psaki, who served as former President Joe Biden’s first White House press secretary and left that job in May 2022.
Leavitt did not bite. “Well, Sean, we have had our segment before, you and me. I will continue to join your show anytime you want, that’s for sure,” she replied.
Why Leavitt Left the Podium
Leavitt, 28, walked away from the briefing room, a departure that landed with little warning. Her stated reason for resigning was a desire to be more present at home after welcoming her second child in May.
“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy and attention required of the White House press secretary—and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” she said in the statement announcing her exit.
Trump called it a “decision I totally understand and respect.”
A Podium Without a Permanent Voice
The exit was abrupt enough that no successor had been lined up, and Leavitt has not been replaced. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Todd Blanche have each taken turns filling in temporarily as Trump’s top spokesperson.
Her announcement came after word emerged that Trump had left several senior administration figures behind aboard Air Force One after he was told of a credible Iranian assassination threat. The president got away by catering truck and boarded a decoy aircraft, an Air Force C-32A, taking White House aide Natalie Harp with him. Leavitt was not on Air Force One at the time.
Hannity’s Expanding Media Portfolio
If anyone at Fox News knows how many jobs one host can juggle, it is Hannity. Fox News Media announced on February 17, 2026, that he would launch a twice-weekly podcast called “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” presented from his new set in Florida — described as his “man cave” — and built around longform conversations with guests. The network billed the interviews as discussions of the turning points, failures and lessons that shape achievement.
Leavitt, for her part, has not exactly gone quiet since leaving. She has returned to work for MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, where she was a spokesperson before joining his 2024 presidential campaign, and she remains a regular guest on Fox News — including on the show where Hannity dangled a title in front of her and got a polite standing invitation in return.