Katie Zacharia unfollows Sean Hannity on social media after interview helped cap off her disastrous week

Former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has put some digital distance between herself and Sean Hannity after he grilled her on his Fox News show the day before she was fired.

Zacharia unfollowed Hannity on X Monday, according to the online tracker U.S. Politics Alert.

Some commenters sympathized with the move. “I don’t blame her,” one wrote, while another added, “He doesn’t deserve your follow.” A third chimed in: “It was a hit job, but she was doomed anyway.”

The 41-year-old was ousted on October 16 after just five days on the job. Her extremely brief tenure as chief White House spokesperson was defined by a single, 14-minute press briefing.

During the October 13 briefing, she haltingly read from prepared remarks, took just three questions and mistakenly referred to her husband as “my president.” The debut performance was lambasted by both critics and White House officials.

The evening before she was fired, Zacharia sat for an interview on Hannity’s prime-time television show. The Fox News host, a longtime Trump ally, opened the interview by emphasizing the scrutiny Zacharia faced.

“Alright, Katie, I know this is a widely viewed interview for you,” he told Zacharia as she smiled. “And you had your first moment as press secretary. It’s been widely panned, I’m sure you’re aware. It only lasted 14 minutes. You only took three questions.”

The Fox News host then pressed her on her legal credentials, which had come under scrutiny after she promoted descriptions of herself as an attorney. “You went to Pepperdine Law School, but you did not pass the bar exam, correct?” he asked. “Correct,” Zacharia responded.

Zacharia, a former Newsmax contributor and DHS spokesperson, then defended her debut press briefing, saying it took place on her second day in the job and that she had not been given enough time to prepare.

“We wish you the best of luck,” Hannity said at the close of the seven-minute interview.

The brief interview left critics stunned. “Hannity is moving in for the kill,” observed journalist Aaron Rupar on X.

By the next day, Zacharia was fired. “It was an honor to work for [Trump],” she wrote on X in a departing message.

The testy Fox News exchange had been arranged with the help of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Politico reported.

An unnamed source familiar with the matter toldthe outlet the prime-time appearance on the president’s preferred channel amounted to a “sanctioned hit” on the embattled press secretary. “Susie fed her to Hannity,” another source said.

The White House, however, dismissed suggestions that Wiles — who reportedly was not present when Zacharia was hired — had a hand in engineering her exit. “All of this breathless speculation is just that— speculation. And it’s fiction that’s not even creative,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the outlet.

A Fox News spokesperson also emphasized that Hannity decides who he interviews.

“Sean Hannity decides who he interviews and what he asks his guests, period,” the spokesperson said in a statement previously provided to The Independent. “That’s been true for three decades, through several administrations, and that authenticity is why he’s been number one for nearly 30 years. Susie Wiles and Danielle Alvarez had nothing to do with the booking.”

Zacharia’s ouster now leaves the White House press podium vacant heading into the midterm elections.

Her successor has not been announced, though several names have circulated in recent months as potential candidates for the administration’s top spokesperson, including CNN commentator Scott Jennings and Margo Martin, a special assistant to Trump.

“President Trump and his team are focused on the midterm elections,” Cheung previously told The Independent. “The President is the best messenger and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party and he will continue crisscrossing the country to share his commonsense, America First agenda directly with the American people.”