Multiple current and former Fox News employees are raising questions about the network’s past handling of COVID-19 policies, accusing the company of hypocrisy as it intensifies its coverage of former White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The criticism comes after Fox News published several reports highlighting the release of Fauci’s personal diary entries ahead of his closely watched Senate testimony, where the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director faced intense questioning over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Fox Corp producer Breanna Morello publicly criticized the network Tuesday, alleging that it is “attempting to rewrite history” by aggressively targeting Fauci despite previously enforcing workplace policies that mirrored many of the COVID restrictions promoted during the pandemic.
In a series of posts on X, Morello claimed Fox attempted to require her to comply with what she described as an “illegal” COVID-19 vaccine mandate while she was employed by the company.
According to Morello, Fox offered employees a $500 bonus to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. She alleged that after declining the vaccine, she was threatened with being placed on unpaid leave following her relocation to New York City.
Morello also shared what she said was language from an internal company email explaining that New York City’s vaccine mandate required all employees performing in-person work at Fox’s New York offices to provide proof that they had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine beginning Dec. 27. The email, according to Morello, further stated that employees receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines would have 45 days to submit proof of their second dose.
The quoted message also stated that COVID-19 testing would no longer serve as an alternative to vaccination under the city’s requirements and that unvaccinated employees would be prohibited from working at Fox’s New York offices unless they complied with the mandate.
A Fox News spokesperson declined to comment on the allegations to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Morello did not provide additional comment before publication.
Tucker Carlson, who hosted Fox News’ primetime program during the pandemic, also commented on the issue, telling the Daily Caller News Foundation that members of his staff created religious exemption requests in order to avoid the vaccine mandate.
Fox’s position on its workplace policies has previously been addressed publicly. In 2021, a company spokesperson told The New York Times that the network’s COVID protocols reflected New York City’s vaccine requirements in effect at the time.
In another social media post Tuesday evening, Morello said she continued speaking publicly because she believes Fox is attempting to “rewrite history.” She wrote that she was forced to resign after warning company executives that they were being misled about the pandemic, adding that she stood by her decision.
According to a biography published by Simon & Schuster, Morello has more than a decade of experience in the media industry and has worked for Fox Corp, Newsmax, local television stations, MLB Advanced Media and ESPN Plus. WorldNetDaily previously reported in 2022 that she said she left Fox after the company required employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Morello was not the only media figure to revisit her experience with Fox.
Investigative journalist Lara Logan, who frequently appeared on Fox News, wrote in a Tuesday post on X that the network canceled her and ended contract negotiations. Logan added that she has no regrets, writing, “There is only one truth.”
Logan has previously alleged that she was pushed out by Fox News after drawing criticism for remarks comparing Fauci to Nazi physician Josef Mengele.
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