Democratic socialist and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong became the subject of ridicule on Fox & Friends Wednesday after the program revisited comments she made in 2021 about her “proximity to whiteness.”
The discussion came one day after Hong generated headlines for declining to clearly distance herself from a 2021 social media post calling for Thanksgiving to be canceled. During Wednesday’s broadcast, Fox & Friends hosts Lawrence Jones, Ainsley Earhardt, and Charlie Hurt turned their attention to another set of remarks Hong made several years ago regarding race and her family.
The program aired a clip from a 2021 interview Hong gave to ListenMKE. In that interview, the Wisconsin state Assembly member discussed her biracial son, whom she shares with her now ex-husband, chef Matt Morris.
“My proximity to whiteness continues, right?” Hong said during the interview.
“My son is biracial. He is half white and half Korean, and I think navigating, you know, what his identity is and how people perceive him is always at the back of my mind.”
Those comments prompted a spirited discussion among the Fox & Friends panel, with the hosts questioning Hong’s use of the phrase “proximity to whiteness.”
Charlie Hurt argued that Hong and others who frequently emphasize race are overly focused on racial issues.
“These people are obsessed with race,” Hurt said. “That is what you call a racist.”
Lawrence Jones then focused on Hong’s description of her relationship to whiteness, joking that her use of the term made little sense given that she had been married to a white man.
“Makes no sense. Proximity? You slept with the guy!” Jones said.
Jones broadened his criticism beyond Hong, arguing that several political figures who speak about racism and white privilege have also married white spouses.
“Think of all of these candidates,” Jones said. “All these candidates that speak so much about the racism and, Kamala Harris, marries a white guy. All of them are married to white people. And they talk about white privilege and how it’s oppressive to everyone.”
He continued by questioning the consistency of those messages.
“And meanwhile, they all marry them. And I just don’t think you should believe them,” Jones said. “I mean, come on. Proximity? It doesn’t get any closer than sleeping with a guy, proximity. Come on!”
The comments prompted laughter from the panel.
Ainsley Earhardt joined in, joking, “They were very close in that moment,” drawing additional laughter from the hosts.
She also questioned what Hong intended by using the phrase.
“I don’t even know what that means, proximity to whiteness? What does that mean?” Earhardt asked.
Jones suggested Hong had adopted language he associated with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“She heard in some DEI camp that tells these people to deprogram them and they run around with these talking points but they forget about who they are with. Who they love,” he said.
Jones went on to argue that Americans increasingly form relationships without regard to race and said he believes the country places greater value on personal relationships than racial identity.
“At the end of the day, this country is becoming more and more mixed,” Jones said. “Because the country doesn’t care about people’s color. They care about who they fall in love with.”
He added that interracial relationships have become commonplace and argued that many people prioritize love over politics or race.
“You love who you love. That’s just it,” Jones said. “And so the fact that they are making this a big thing in modern day society, I think the country is just sick of it.”
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