'I’m not a doctor': Sean Hannity reveals 'immense pressure' to push COVID jab
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Fox News host Sean Hannity has opened up about the pressure he says he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage his audience to get vaccinated.
Speaking during a discussion with Dr. Drew Pinsky on Tuesday, October 6 for an episode of 'Hang Out', Hannity said he resisted giving viewers direct medical advice because he did not know their individual health histories or whether vaccination was appropriate for them.
Fox News’ Sean Hannity ADMITS he was under IMMENSE PRESSURE to tell his audience to take the COVID jab. “I was being pressured — pressured — to tell my audience to take the jab. And I’m like, ‘I’m not a doctor. I’m just not. I don’t know anything about your health, I don’t know anything about your preexisting conditions, your current condition, comorbidities you may have, and I don’t know anything about this shot.’” “But I kept putting people with different views on, and I said, ‘Take it seriously, consult your doctor, make your own mind up.’”
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) October 6, 2026
Hannity recalls vaccine pressure
During Tuesday’s episode of his podcast, Hannity discussed the pandemic response and his concerns about the way COVID-19 vaccination was communicated to the public.
He said he was repeatedly pushed to tell his viewers to receive the vaccine.
“I was being pressured to tell my audience to take the jab,” Hannity said.
He explained that he did not believe he was qualified to make that decision for individual viewers.
“I’m not a doctor. I’m just not,” Hannity said, adding that he had no knowledge of an individual’s preexisting conditions, current medical situation or other health factors.
Rather than directly instructing viewers to get vaccinated, Hannity said he tried to present different perspectives and encouraged people to discuss the issue with their own doctors.
“Take it seriously, consult your doctor, make your own mind up,” he recalled telling his audience.
Dr. Drew Pinsky, who joined Hannity for the discussion, also criticized aspects of the pandemic response.
Pinsky pointed to COVID-related mandates and restrictions, arguing that vaccination requirements affected people's ability to move freely through society.
“The mandates came along, you couldn’t move in the world without getting the shot, and that’s the egregious part,” Pinsky said.
In 2021, Hannity urged viewers to take COVID-19 seriously and consult medical professionals about vaccination decisions.
He also said vaccination could make sense for many Americans and expressed support for the science behind vaccines.
At the time, Hannity emphasized that decisions should take into account a person's medical history and current health circumstances.
Biden administration led US vaccine push
The discussion comes against the backdrop of an unprecedented US vaccination campaign that began at the end of President Donald Trump’s first administration and expanded dramatically after former President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
The first COVID-19 vaccines were authorized in the United States in December 2020, while Trump was still president.
The Biden administration then made vaccination a central part of its strategy for controlling the pandemic, encouraging Americans to get vaccinated and introducing a range of policies aimed at increasing vaccination rates.
In 2021, the administration also pursued vaccine requirements affecting certain federal workers, healthcare settings and large employers, although the legal status and implementation of different mandates became the subject of major political and legal battles.
The federal government, states, employers and healthcare institutions all played roles in the wider vaccination campaign.
Public messaging frequently emphasized vaccination as an important tool for reducing the impact of COVID-19, while debates over mandates, individual choice, safety and effectiveness became increasingly polarized.
