A memorable BIRTHDAY for Fox News host Harris Faulkner – An emotional reflection on the sacrifices behind her success!
How/where are you celebrating your birthday and with whom? “It will be in two parts. On my birthday eve, my husband Tony and I will have a special dinner at a favorite restaurant, Grissini, in a neighboring New Jersey town. I’ll be having the pesto gnocchi and share a plate of chicken Milanese with Tony, who will roll BYOB-style with a bottle of Taste Red 2014! On my actual birthday, my daughters and I will attend their soccer game and gymnastics practice. They will pick out my wardrobe and style my hair for the day—OH LORD. We’ll also do a dry run of our Halloween costumes. They are quick to remind me that my birthdate October 13th is Halloween backwards, October 31st!”
How did you get your start in media? “My mom cautioned me not to become a gossip! I was always up in people’s business. People told me stuff… even when I didn’t ask and I channeled my story gathering and good sources into a hunger for the news. I wrote for my university newspaper and went on to freelance for a Los Angeles publication in my first months after graduating from UC Santa Barbara. I also interned at a couple of TV stations in the LA area. From interning to my first paid (barely) TV news job in Greenville, North Carolina, I was on my way. 25 years, 6 Emmy Journalism Awards and maybe a million news stories reported later… I’m at Fox News. The dream continues!”
What’s an interesting book/article you’re reading now or finished? And why? “My 2018 book tour has been a highlight in my career. It will resume after the midterm elections with a few more upcoming fall book speeches and signings for my first bestseller, ‘9 Rules of Engagement: A Military Brat’s Guide to Life and Success.’ I’m letting my social media followers know over my birthday weekend when I will be in their cities. The book I am currently reading requires me to reveal exclusively to Politico readers is about my family’s clandestine history with a serious mental health disorder. My younger cousin Timothy Lane just penned ‘Trapped Inside My Mind,’ and it is causing an amazing response on Amazon. He has schizophrenia and the detail that he shares in his book is heartbreaking and jarring. We have a large extended family in Dallas, Texas. It’s all hands on deck to help Timothy tell his tortured and hidden truth so he can realize his dream of helping others. I cried with nearly every page because it is so clear that he suffered in silence for most of our lives. It is also apparent from the response to ‘Trapped…’ that there are a lot of people battling mental health illnesses in shame and thereby, suffering without treatment. Pick up a copy and see if it resonates with you or someone you know.”
What is a trend going on in the U.S. or abroad that doesn’t get enough attention? “After recently anchoring a primetime town hall special on immigration and the President’s border wall, live from Phoenix, it became glaringly obvious how much voters care about immigration policy. The response was intense from Americans across the country, and not just from those who live in border states. We definitely want to pay attention to the debate around critical points such as, DACA, a growing illegal immigrant population and more, as voters head to the polls for the midterm elections.”
How is the Trump presidency going? “No one can argue against the successful unemployment rate. Nationwide it is at 3.7%- the lowest since man first walked on the moon! For people who have been out of a job for a long time since the Great Recession ended in June 2009, it may personally feel a bit like Neil Armstrong said about that first lunar stroll, ‘one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ President Trump has made political news interesting and necessary for people to follow. If that continues to translate into people actually voting and not just talking about politics on November 6th’s midterm elections, that would be very positive. Americans need to be engaged and invested in the legislative process that affects their daily lives, otherwise we are just democracy in name only.”
What’s a fun fact that people in Washington might not know about you? “It’s not completely a secret, but I watch an inordinate number of hours of C-SPAN hearings, lectures etc…I zone out and soak up important topics on Capitol Hill, without commercials or content I have to mute when the kids enter the room. My friend Kennedy, who often joins me as a co-host on ‘OUTNUMBERED’ (weekdays at noon ET!) bought me these socks because I’m such a nerd.”
