Neil Cavuto, who had been MIA from Fox News and Fox Business Network for six weeks without explanation, finally returned to air today and explained that he contracted Covid-19 again and had been hospitalized with “Covid pneumonia.”
Cavuto—who had previously contracted Covid-19 last October—explained the reason for his extended absence today on his Fox Business Network show, Cavuto: Coast to Coast:
I did get Covid again … but a far, far more serious strand … what doctors call Covid pneumonia. It landed me in intensive care for quite a while and it really was touch-and-go. Some of you who’ve wanted to put me out of my misery darn near got what you wished for! So, sorry to disappoint you!
AdvertisementBut no, the vaccine didn’t cause that. That grassy knoll theory has come up a lot. My very compromised immune system did. Because I’ve had cancer and right now I have multiple sclerosis, I’m among the vulnerable three percenters or so of the population that cannot sustain the full benefits of a vaccine. In other words, it simply doesn’t last.
But let me be clear, doctors say had I not been vaccinated at all, I wouldn’t be here. It provided some defense, but that is still better than no defense. Maybe not great comfort for some of you. And frankly, not great comfort for me either!
This was scary. How scary? I’m talking, ‘Ponderosa suddenly out of the prime rib in the middle of the buffet line scary!’ That’s how scary.
As TVNewser reported earlier this month, Cavuto—who hosts shows on Fox News and Fox Business—was last seen on his weekday 4 p.m. Fox News show, Your World with Neil Cavuto on Jan. 10. Fox News Media had not commented on his long absence.
Cavuto said today that he asked Fox not to talk about his illness. “They were honoring my wishes, out of respect for my privacy, even though they were getting a lot of heat trying to protect my privacy,” he said.
He continued, “I wasn’t really hiding anything. I just felt I wasn’t the story. The stories on this show were and are the story. It’s about you, it’s not about me. Just like this show. My opinions don’t matter. You matter. The news matters.”
However, he acknowledged, “I didn’t want to become the story, but for many of you, I did.”
During Cavuto’s absence, Charles Payne and Sandra Smith had been guest-hosting Your World, while David Asman, Jackie DeAngelis, Ashley Webster, Edward Lawrence held court on his Fox Business show, Cavuto: Coast to Coast, and on his Fox News weekend show Cavuto Live.
As we noted earlier, Cavuto’s health issues are well-documented. He tested positive for Covid-19 last October after his 4 p.m. Fox News hour and disclosed his positive test the following day. He later appeared on Howard Kurtz‘s MediaBuzz to discuss his experience and pleaded with viewers to get vaccinated. “Life is too short to be an ass. Life is way too short to be ignorant of the promise of something that is helping people worldwide. Stop the deaths. Stop the suffering. Please, get vaccinated. Please,” said Cavuto.
The longtime Fox Newser, who is immunocompromised. He underwent heart surgery in 2016 after being diagnosed with “widow maker” heart disease. Cavuto was previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1997 and also successfully battled “near-life-ending” cancer.
Here is what Cavuto said about his return: