Fox News anchor Julie Banderas has surprised viewers after revealing during a Valentine’s Day segment that she is getting divorced.
Banderas shared the relationship update on Thursday night during an appearance on the conservative news network’s comedy show Gutfeld!, where she also took the opportunity to bash the romantic holiday.
The exchange took place towards the end of the show, when host Greg Gutfeld asked the news anchor, who has been married to husband Andrew Sansone since 2009, whether she would be getting anything for Valentine’s Day.
“F**k Valentine’s Day,” Banderas replied to gasps from the audience and fellow panellists, before adding: “It is stupid, even when I was married, I didn’t get sh*t for Valentine’s Day.”
Banderas’ comment prompted Gutfeld to question whether the news anchor meant she was “no longer married,” at which point she revealed that she and her husband are getting divorced.
“Well, I’m getting a divorce. I’m going to go ahead and say it right here for the very first time,” Banderas said while smiling widely. “Thank you, everyone. Congratulations are in order. That was breaking news right here on Gutfeld!”
Banderas then urged both the live audience and her fellow panellists to clap, as she claimed that those who “know” her know that the announcement should be met with applause.
“If you know me, you’ll clap,” she added.
Banderas’ declaration came after she hinted on Twitter earlier in the day that she would be sharing a “little announcement” during the Valentine’s Day segment of the show.
“Tune into @Gutfeldfox tonight at 11pm ET. I have a little announcement at the end of the show. (During the Valentine’s Day segment ironically),” she tweeted alongside a selfie.
After announcing her divorce, the mother of three then went on to condemn Valentine’s Day as a “stupid” holiday. “It’s a Hallmark holiday, it’s stupid,” she continued on-air. “I mean, it’s just absolutely ridiculous and I don’t think that you need one day…”
Although she was critical of the holiday, Banderas did offer some advice for men purchasing flowers for their partners this Valentine’s Day.
“Guys, if you are going to get your girl flowers, don’t bring them to her in a box. That’s the only advice I’ve got for you. No flowers in a box,” she said, before explaining that she wouldn’t want to receive “anything alive in a box”. “If you come to be in a box, you better be dead,” she added.
Banderas previously hinted that her relationship with Sansone was over in December, when she described him as her “soon-to-be ex”. The news anchor made the comment on Twitter in response to a fan who’d claimed Banderas had left them in “stitches” with jokes she’d made about Sansone.
On Twitter, Banderas’ divorce announcement was largely met with support, with one describing her decision to share the news on-air as “iconic,” while another said: “Congratulations Julie. Enjoy your new happiness.”
After the show, Banderas also confirmed on Twitter that she “wasn’t kidding” about the divorce announcement in response to a viewer who’d suggested she’d likely been joking when she’d shared the news. “I wasn’t kidding,” she wrote.
The Independent has contacted Banderas for comment.
