Fox News prime time host Sean Hannity will be the next cable news star to expand into podcasting.
Fox News Media will announce Tuesday the launch of a twice-a-week podcast called “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” featuring long-form interviews with subjects across culture, business, sports and politics.
The podcast will have fresh material that could occasionally turn up on Hannity’s prime time Fox News program. While it will be scheduled for an hour, Hannity said in an interview he will allow the conversations to go on as long he believes they’re compelling.
“You just keep going,” Hannity said, referring to the podcast format. “I love the freedom that offers.”
Hannity will be the biggest name at Fox News to join its new media division, which already has a number of podcasts that feature on-air talent such as Will Cain and Tyrus. The division also carries podcasts from Fox News contributors such as the irreverent conservative group Ruthless and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines.
Cable news networks have made an aggressive push into podcasting, as they need to reach the growing number of consumers who no longer subscribe to pay TV.
Last year, MS NOW launched a weekly podcast, “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” and last week announced “Clock It,” with journalist Eugene Daniels and Democratic strategist Symone Sanders Townsend.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper has hosted a podcast — “All There Is,” where he talks to high-profile guests about grief and loss — since 2022.
Fox News parent Fox Corporation has pushed deeper into the podcast business with its 2025 acquisition of Red Seat Ventures, a company that provides sales support and other services to independent journalists with podcasts including former Fox News personalities Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. Red Seat is expanding with the recent purchase of Supercast, another platform for podcast creators.
Fox News Media operates its own podcast unit, with content aligned with its mostly politically conservative audience.
Hannity said he signed on because he enjoyed doing a long-form interview program for the subscription streaming service Fox Nation, which included lengthy chats with Sylvester Stallone and Stephen A. Smith.
Hannity wanted the streaming show moved to a podcast format that will appear on YouTube and other platforms so he can reach a wider audience. He said having a program with no set end time creates an atmosphere that can generate intimate anecdotes from guests.
“What I learned doing the show for Fox Nation is everybody has a story,” he said. “And the beauty is, I don’t have to work hard to pull it out of them in a certain period of time.”
If conflict breaks out on the podcast, Hannity said there will be no escape to commercial breaks or running out the clock.
“I’m not going to stop for an hour and a half until you give me my answer,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter if we agree, disagree, but you gotta give an answer.”
Hannity is the longest-running host on Fox News, having been part of its prime-time lineup since its 1996 launch. He also continues to do a live daily radio program heard on 750 stations nationwide and reaching 20 million listeners a week. But he is well aware of the inroads that podcasts are making into traditional media’s share of the audience and doesn’t want to be left behind.
“I want to stay current,” Hannity said. “And I want to stay relevant.”
Hannity is one of President Trump’s staunchest advocates on his Fox News nightly program. The host promises that “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” will present a wide range of viewpoints.
“I won’t mention names, but we have a couple of people on the left that have agreed to do the podcast,” Hannity said. “Some have been on the TV show, some have not.”
