Back in May, the Fox and Friends co-hosts (Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade) all made sure to let their audience know (while apparently distancing themselves from Tucker Carlson) that they’d all been vaccinated against COVID-19. Since that day, however, Kilmeade’s been rather grumbly about the idea of virus-related mandates, and that’s not resting well with people who recognize how dangerous it is to air misinformation on a cable news network.
On Wednesday morning, Earhardt actually led the charge on that end. She noted how Texas Governor Greg Abbott tested positive, which led to her (inaccurate) assertion that heading to the hospital to take Regeneron after infection is “basically still getting vaccinated.” Following that heaping helping of misinformation, Kilmeade interjected (while complaining, “You can’t go to anything unless you have your vaccination card”) that it’s possible to get a fake vaccine card for “a dollar.” The casual manner in which he inserted this suggestion (in what could be interpreted as a wink-wink, nod-nod) to millions of Fox News viewers is, well, irresponsible as heck, as pointed out on Twitter.
Note how Fox & Friends transitions in this single 47 second clip from Ainsley Earhardt’s vaccine disinformation to Brian Kilmeade winking and nodding about how cheap knockoff vaccine cards are. Insanely irresponsible stuff. https://t.co/iMroVlde52
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 18, 2021
Hard to overstate how fucking irresponsible this is — after complaining about NYC’s vaccine mandate, Kilmeade notes you can get a cheap knock off vax card
Kilmeade: You can’t go to anything unless you have your vaccination card — which, takes a dollar to make a knock off card pic.twitter.com/HUSwBtpQWJ
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) August 18, 2021
Stellar work, @FoxNews. Keeping the pandemic going, whatever it takes.
— Paul Berra (@berralaw) August 18, 2021
And then resting “I don’t know if I like the smell my own farts” face Kilmeade says it costs a dollar to make a knock off vax card.
Are these idiots on the board for Coronavirus Incorporated??— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) August 18, 2021
Then there’s the little fact that encouraging someone to use a fake vaccine card is a crime (possibly even a felony), and NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio noticed.
Hey, @kilmeade: a real vaccine card is completely free. A fake one will cost you way more than a dollar when you get caught, trust me. https://t.co/iiXlx1tLur
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 18, 2021
Thousand of dollars if your caught.
— Claudette Norman (@claudetteNorm16) August 18, 2021
isnt it illegal to fake the vaccination card, and by default to encourage others to do so?
— Matt (@MattwithIH) August 18, 2021
Knock off vaccine cards could cause someone to be charged with a felony. @kilmeade @FoxNews are now encouraging criminal behavior.
— Traveling Texan (@TexansRevolt) August 18, 2021
The fakes cost way more than the real ones (which are free)
— Diner Opinion (@DinerOpinion) August 18, 2021
Also yup, Kilmeade should probably take his own previous advice to not take medical advice from a talking head, even the one sitting next to him.
Do y’all remember when Brian @kilmeade said don’t take medical advice from a TV anchor when @SteveDoocy said to get vaccinated? He sure didn’t have any of that advice for @ainsleyearhardt after this dumb ass comment. Y’all are fools to listen to @foxandfriends about COVID. https://t.co/RY9B5ztYpr
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) August 18, 2021