LITERACY IS FOR LIBS

‘Fox & Friends’ Host Brian Kilmeade: Who Cares That Beto O’Rourke Reads Books?

‘He has this huge library,’ Kilmeade whined. ‘As if it’s a big plus that he reads books.’

On the morning that former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke officially announced that he was tossing his hat in the 2020 presidential race, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade groused over the size of the congressman’s library, asking why anyone would care that O’Rourke reads books.

Prior to the ex-congressman making his official announcement Thursday morning, Vanity Fair’s curtain-raising profile on his intended run noted that O’Rourke's “floor-to-ceiling bookshelf contains a section for rock memoirs (Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, a favorite) and a stack of LPs (the Clash, Nina Simone) but also a sizable collection of presidential biographies.”

Discussing O’Rourke’s launch on Thursday’s Fox & Friends, Kilmeade grumbled that the magazine “helped launch his campaign.” And then the Fox host obsessed over O’Rourke’s reading habits.

“They also point out that he has this huge library,” he said. “As if it’s a big plus that he reads books.”

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Kilmeade, who is the author of several books, continued: “We would assume that. And he talks all the presidential libraries there, and the writer writes, ‘there’s always a sense that he belongs on that,’ as if a book of a president’s is going to be in there.”

This wasn’t the only unintentionally hilarious moment of the day for Kilmeade. Later in the broadcast, the Fox host struggled to name a single pie when co-host Steve Doocy noted that today was Pi Day. Eventually, Kilmeade mentioned small pre-packaged Drake Cakes, prompting Doocy to sigh.

“That’s a cake,” Doocy shouted as co-host Ainsley Earhardt stared into the camera.

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Justin BaragonaSenior Media Reporter

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