Trump and Hannity's friendship 'began to break down' when the Fox News host grew 'disgusted' with the 2020 election lies, according to book
- Fox News host Sean Hannity reportedly had a falling out with Trump last year.
- Hannity was "disgusted" by Trump's election lies, according to an updated book.
- New details about Trump's relationship with Fox are in Brian Stelter's book "Hoax."
Fox News opinion host Sean Hannity's relationship with former President Donald Trump soured as the one term president kept falsely claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, according to an updated book.
A newly released paperback copy of CNN anchor and media reporter Brian Stelter's book "Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth" details revelations learned since its initial release back in August 2020.
Hannity, who has openly campaigned for Trump at rallies despite his job at a news organization, was continuing to advise Trump in frequent phone calls leading up to Election Day, according to Stelter.
But when Trump began to peddle disinformation about the election and kept lying that it was stolen, the primetime host reportedly came close to a breaking point.
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"The calls and counseling continued right up until Election Day-when the relationship between the two men began to break down. Hannity, according to one source, was 'disgusted' by some of Trump's election denialism," Stelter writes.
Stelter notes that he was initially "skeptical" of his source saying Hannity and Trump had a falling out because "Hannity devoted so much time to the Big Lie throughout the month of November and well into December."
"At least [Tucker] Carlson was wise enough to focus on other Fox-friendly subjects," Stelter writes. "Hannity kept inviting Kayleigh McEnany to hold up packets of paper and swear that the legal path to a second term was right around the corner, even though Trump's suits were laughed out of court left and right. McEnany and other Hannity guests filled the Fox audience with false hope night after night and never, ever delivered."
Of the more than 40 lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign challenging the results of the election, none have been successful in court.
"Sean knows the audience better than anyone," a Fox coworker told Stelter under the condition of anonymity.
While Hannity may have been irked by Trump's anti-democratic conspiracy theories privately, he "was never going to risk alienating the audience," Stelter writes.
Fox News did not return Insider's request for comment and did not make Hannity available for an interview.