SH0CKWAVE: Female Fox News Host Hit by Explosive ΛFFΛIR Allegati0n!

Fox News host Jessica Tarlov slammed a “d1sgusting l1e” about her family that was posted on social media this week. And one licensed mental health counselor said that the attacks on Tarlov shed light on a common “deeply m1s0gynistic” attck.

Tarlov, the resident Democrat on Fox News show “The Five,” responded to a post on X that accused her of inf1delity.

“Jessica slept with her current husband (right) while still married to her first husband (left),” read the post from an X account called “Bad Hombre.” The post featured a photo of Tarlov with her husband, Brian McKenna, and one of their two children.

“Lollll absolutely not true,” Tarlov wrote. “But appreciate [you] covering my baby’s face – respectful even as you spread a d1sgusting l1e.”

Tarlov faced waves of right-wing backlash after she called out the GOP on X on Thursday for purporting to champion “family values” amid news that Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton (R) filed for divorce from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Angela Paxton said in a statement that she filed for divorce after nearly four decades of marriage on “biblical grounds” and in light of “recent discoveries.”

Ken Paxton, who is currently campaigning in the Republican primary for a seat in the U.S. Senate, was previously accused of having an affir with a donor’s employee during his 2023 state impeachment trial, in which he was acquitted of corruption charges.

But Tarlov’s critique as a political commentator, suggesting that the Republican Party’s messaging on “family values” is riddled with hypocrisy, sparked crude, m1s0gynistic and derogatory personal attacks directed at her and her romantic relationships.

Some X users responded to the liberal Fox News host by calling her a “ch3ating wh0re,” a “ho” and a “h0me wr3cker,” among other disparaging attacks.

Hallie Kritsas, a licensed mental health counselor and therapist with Thriveworks who specializes in self-esteem, told HuffPost that the attacks on Tarlov serve as a “clear example of how women in the public eye, especially in politics or commentary, are often targeted in d33ply g3ndered ways.”

“For women, especially those who are outspoken, often others undermine their credibility through personal or sexualized attacks,” she said.

Jessica Tarlov photographed with fellow host of “The Five” Jesse Watters on June 28, 2023 in New York City. John Lamparski via Getty Images

People often attck or accuse women of being unfaithful as a way to reinforce gendered power dynamics. 

Kritsas said that attacking women for being unfaithful in their relationships — whether it’s true or not — or criticizing them for having multiple sexual partners, seems to be a common line of attck that’s “d33ply m1s0gynistic.”

“This is especially as it is a move that works to discredit, shame or control them. These accusations seem to do little with the actual truth and more to do with reinforcing gendered power dynamics. It also punishes women for autonomy or any perceived independence,” she said.

Kritsas said that society tends to be harsher on women for both actual and perceived inf1delity.

“And even when accusations are unfounded, women can still face intense judgment and shame in ways that men typically do not,” she said. “Culturally, it is expected that women are to be the emotional and moral anchors in relationships and to be loyal and nurturing. So when they ‘deviate,’ away from it, it can trigger a backlash in society.”

Overall, Kritsas explained that instances of inf1delity with men tend to be “downplayed” or “normalized.” And that’s due to “a double standard that comes from longstanding gender norms and patriarchal ideas equating women’s value with her sexual behavior and loyalty.”

The imbalance in expectations among men and women is reflected in the way society seeks to control women’s bodies and their choices, she added.