Fox and Friends will have a new co-host come September to replace Gretchen Carlson: Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Rumors suggested for months that Hasselbeck would leave The View, where she represented the conservative position and often clashed with other co-hosts. In a statement, ABC said of Hasselbeck leaving that, “She stood behind her political views even if they were not the most popular opinions at the table never shying away from voicing a difficult question.”
Hasselbeck will be right at home at Fox and Friends, a show that has pushed some wild conspiracy theories about how Spongebob Squarepants has a “global warming agenda,” the Labor Department cooked the jobs report, and Hillary Clinton faked her December concussion to avoid testifying before Congress.
Here are five examples of Hasselbeck’s right-wing views:
1. Morning-after pill is like abandoning a baby in the street. It’s no secret Hasselbeck is against abortion, arguing women only get them for “superficial reasons.” In 2006, she argued that emergency contraception is “the same thing as birthing a baby and leaving it out in the street!”
2. Older lesbian women just couldn’t get a man. Her theory on why lesbians come out later in life is that older men prefer young women, “leaving older women with no one.”
3. Stalking victim’s outfit was too slutty. Hasselbeck joked that Dancing With the Stars contestant Erin Andrews’ outfit was too skimpy for the stalking victim who was filmed nude in her hotel room. “In light of what happened and as a legal [matter] […] I mean, in some way if I’m him, I’m like, ‘Man! I just could’ve waited 12 weeks and seen this — a little bit less — without the prison time!’” Hasselbeck later said she regretted the comments and gave a tearful apology on-air.
4. Waterboarding isn’t torture. Hasselbeck suggested that the military requires waterboarding and it was used effectively post-9/11 to gain intelligence information. “I’m not saying hey everyone should go next door to be waterboarded,” she said. But she maintained a distinction from torture: “Torture is wrong, but enhanced interrogation techniques is different.” A large majority of Americans disagree.
5. Feminists only “burn their bras” for liberals. In a debate over Rush Limbaugh’s misogynist attacks, Hasselbeck took issue with feminists who do not stand up for conservative women. However, in making her point, she invoked the “bra-burning” stereotype about feminists. “The sisters that you speak of… my question for them is why they are so selective in their feminism, why aren’t they burning their bras when a conservative women is attacked,” she said.