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A former Fox News weathercaster is alleging some hefty claims against the conservative news network.
On Tuesday, July 21, in a series of posts on X, Janice Dean, 56, claimed Fox News allegedly "muzzled" her and "banned" her from speaking on certain topics before she resigned from Fox & Friends in June after 20 years. Her exit came amid health complications from her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.
In her posts, Dean claimed that she was especially silenced when it came to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom she has criticized over his COVID-19 response after her in-laws died from the virus in a New York nursing home. The TV personality also hinted that she may share more of her story soon, now that she's "free." This comes after Fox News viewers turned on a Trump official who they say is a "bumbling idiot."
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"Someday I'll tell you all the story of how I was banned to talk about Andrew Cuomo after I spent years speaking out about what he did to seniors during COVID," Dean wrote.
"I felt very betrayed during this time, and admittedly I'm still bitter," she continued in her second post. "When you share something so personal to the world, and are encouraged to talk about it for years, and then one day be told you can’t, that hurt does not just magically go away."
One X user responded to her posts, saying they noticed Fox News appeared to support Cuomo during his 2025 campaign for New York City mayor. Cuomo ran against democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.
The user said they wondered how the network's coverage of Cuomo affected Dean. In response, Dean wrote, "Yes. Muzzled." Dean publicly criticized the former governor's response to the impact of COVID-19 on residents of assisted living homes in the state. Her parents-in-law died in a nursing home in New York due to complications from the virus.
However, now that she is no longer contractually bound with Fox News, Dean hinted that she might share more of the story soon. "I have many, many, many stories. Sometimes I can't believe the stuff I've been through. But I'm free now," she wrote in another X post.
The Mirror US has reached out to Fox News for comment on Dean's claims.
In response to Dean's comments, Cuomo's rep told PEOPLE, "All COVID deaths are just as tragic now as they were six years ago, but this issue has been exhaustively investigated by the DOJ IG, the NY Attorney General, an outside investigator hired by NY state, among others."
"Every credible inquiry found New York's guidance was consistent with federal guidelines, and Ms. Dean’s family's own lawsuit was dismissed at every level, including by the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to consider it earlier this year," the rep added.
Dean began working for Fox News in 2004, a year before she was first diagnosed with MS. In November, she announced that she was going on an unspecified leave from work to be with family amid "health issues."
After more than 20 years at the network, she announced her resignation on June 25, writing that "goodbyes are hard," but "necessary before you can meet again."
"For a long time, I was able to handle the early mornings, the many hours on my feet and the stress of broadcasting live," Dean said in a social media post. "Getting up at 2:30 in the morning and performing anything is hard, but especially for someone who has multiple sclerosis."
She added that she would "miss" the "friends I met, of course, the places I've visited, the storms I've covered and the millions of viewers who have invited me into their homes every morning."
In a statement following Dean's departure announcement, Fox News said, "We fully support Janice's courageous decision to step away from her role as senior meteorologist on FOX & Friends and are grateful for her many contributions."
