Fox News Anchors Who Have Dealt With Tragic Health Issues

While not all of them are anchors, there are over 150 on-air personalities working at Fox News Channel. Many of these individuals have been with the network for long periods of time — often decades and, in some instances, even since the channel's 1996 inception. These individuals have all become celebrities in their own right, and as such, we know a lot about their personal lives in addition to their professional ones. Over the years, Fox News anchors (and hosts, correspondents, analysts, and those whose credentials defy definition) have shared their highlights with the audience, but also their lowlights. And few things are lower on the scale of misery than painful health issues.

Here we take a look at current Fox News pundits who have experienced big health issues. That means we did not include those who have died, no matter how tragic — like FNC health commentator Dr. Kelly Powers, who passed from brain cancer at the end of 2024 at age 45. It also means we did not include those who have left the network. Take, for instance, former anchor Neil Cavuto, who worked at Fox News for 28 years and was quite open about his multiple sclerosis, or Geraldo Rivera, whose botched back surgery led to a well-publicized malpractice suit while he worked at the network. Instead, we focused on those who suffered setbacks but stayed at the channel.

Shannon Bream joined Fox News in 2007, first working as a correspondent covering the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., and she currently serves as the anchor of Fox News Sunday (amongst other roles). Bream has clearly been incredibly successful in her career — which would be impressive in any scenario, but is especially remarkable considering the years of intense pain she suffered due to a hard-to-diagnose eye condition.

Bream was nearing 40 when she started having intense eye pain any time she slept for more than a couple of hours. She would awake with stabbing pain, and her daytime hours were filled with discomfort, double vision, and migraines. After two years of hell, Bream's doctor told her he had no answers and implied that she was overreacting. "He told me he thought I was being too emotional," she told People. "That put me into a tailspin — I'm desperate for any lifeline any diagnosis, any treatment to help me through this nightmare, and my doctor was questioning my sanity. That was really hurtful." 

Bream found herself having dark thoughts about suicide. This prompted her husband to jump into action, and the couple eventually found a cornea specialist who diagnosed Bream with chronic erosion syndrome exacerbated by corneal map-dot fingerprint dystrophy. Though the ailment has no cure, treatment (including laser surgery) has gotten Bream 95% back to normal. "It really gave me my life back," she said.

Per the CDC, only 2,000 Americans contract malaria each year, and most of them pick it up while traveling somewhere the disease is prevalent. Rare cases do happen, however, and Fox News anchor John Roberts was unlucky enough to be one of those cases when he came down with the illness in 2025. "I somehow came down with a severe case of Malaria. I can honestly say that I am the only person in the hospital with Malaria. In fact, one of my doctors said I'm the first case he has ever seen," Roberts tweeted in August 2025, after a colleague subbed in for him on "America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith." Roberts has co-hosted the program since 2021, although he had been with Fox News Channel for a decade by that point.

Roberts started to notice issues while filming his show, when he could not stop uncontrollably shivering. He had also been having pain throughout his entire body, but thought it was muscle cramps or something of the like. The shivering sent him to a rheumatologist, who sent him to the ER after his bloodwork showed troubling findings. "I don't know exactly how 'severe' it was from a medical classification, but it sure felt severe," Roberts said to People. "I have never felt that sick in my life."

Kat Timpf is not technically a Fox News "anchor," but she might as well be. She has been a contributor for the network since 2015. Timpf is best known for being a panelist on the late night show "Gutfeld!," where she has appeared in more than 1,000 episodes when you include both the current version and the previous one (entitled "The Greg Gutfeld Show"). She has also made a substantial amount of appearances across the network's other fare, including "Jesse Watters Primetime," "The Five," "Media Buzz," and "Outnumbered." Timpf is also a writer, podcaster, and stand-up comedian, so Fox News is just one of her many jobs.

Still, Timpf is most visible on Fox, which is why she has had to announce the reason for her absence from "Gutfeld!" on multiple occasions. Her first departure from the show began in February 2025, when she gave birth, but a lot more was happening behind the scenes than viewers knew. Only 15 hours before going into labor, doctors informed Timpf that she has breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy in March 2025, then returned to "Gutfeld!" in mid-June 2025. However, Timpf again took a break in July to undergo reconstructive surgery, and she made sure everyone knew it. "Just so the internet can't come up with theories about where I am, that's where I am," she said on the show. Timpf returned again in early August 2025.

Eric Shawn has worked at Fox News since the channel launched in 1996, and he has filled many roles over the years. This has included serving as a weekend co-anchor of "FOX News Live," hosting Fox Nation's "Riddle: The Search for James R. Hoffa," and working as a correspondent and New York-based anchor. Over his tenure, Shawn has covered many elections, interviewed many world leaders, and led large investigations such as one that uncovered new evidence in Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa's murder. Shawn also specializes in covering breaking news stories, and he has been on-the-ground for many of the biggest events in modern history. One of these caused him to get cancer.

Shawn has been covering terror attacks even before he joined FNC, starting with the 1990 shooting of Rabbi Meir Kahane. So, naturally, he was the perfect fit to report on the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Twin Towers. In 2025, on the 24th anniversary of 9/11, Shawn publicly shared that his coverage of the event caused him long-term respiratory issues. He also said that he had recently been diagnosed with cancer. "While 2,977 people were murdered here that day, the number who have died from 9/11-related illnesses has increased from the toxic dust that was released," he said on the air (via People). "If you were below Canal Street, basically, you were exposed to the dust. I was here reporting on it. That's what happened with me."

Rachel Campos-Duffy first gained public attention as a reality star, having appeared on Season 3 of "The Real World." Campos-Duffy continued to appear on MTV for years thereafter, in reunion specials and also on "The Challenge," but her career took a huge turn when she started regularly guest hosting on "The View" in the early aughts. Though she was never offered a full-time gig at "The View," despite vying for a co-host spot three times over the years, the exposure led to more opportunities and, eventually, to Fox News Channel. Campos-Duffy joined FNC as a contributor in 2016 and was named co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend" in 2021 (she also hosts "Fox Noticias").

Campos-Duffy has spoken about a devastating car wreck multiple times over the years, including on fellow FNC host Will Cain's podcast. "It was an older guy, he fell asleep and he crossed the lane and all of a sudden hit us head on," she explained. "So, everybody died except for me in that accident. So, it was a pretty traumatic accident. I was really badly injured." Recovery took about a year and a half and multiple surgeries, but Campos-Duffy was left with long-term health issues because of the crash. Because of injuries to her right leg — caused by being thrown out the window — the star now has arthritis, a limp, and difficulty running.