Fox News Halts Programming To Announce Heartbreaking Death Of Gloria Steinem At 92
Fox News was halted on Thursday morning for an alert as feminist trailblazer Gloria Steinem died at the age of 92.
During Thursday’s Fox & Friends, Ainsley Earhardt paused to announce: “Alright, now to a Fox News alert, feminist activist Gloria Steinem has died at the age of 92.”
The hosts turned to Fox News correspondent Chanley Painter, who shared that Steinem’s foundation announced her death on social media, detailing that she died peacefully in her New York City home on Wednesday. It comes as Meghan Markle’s close bond with Gloria Steinem as feminist icon dies.
According to Steinem’s Instagram page, she died surrounded by her loved ones on Wednesday, September 2. Steinem’s cause of death was revealed in the announcement.
“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the Instagram page wrote. “Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves.”
Gloria Steinem founded Ms. magazine in 1971 (Image: Getty Images)
“Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor,” the statement continued.
Steinem’s official Instagram page commended her for inviting hundreds of guests into her home over the years for Talking Circles, intimate gatherings that became a tradition. Her home became a “center for social justice movements.”
On Fox News, Painter detailed Steinem’s accomplishments as a celebrated activist and author, who became a prominent voice and face of the U.S. women’s rights movement.
She was a pioneer of the 1960s era of second-wave feminism, which paved the way for changes in women’s rights in the U.S.
President Barack Obama awarded Gloria Steinem with a Presidential Medal of Freedom (Image: Getty Images)
“Steinem rose to fame during the late 1960s and 1970s as a feminist activist. In 1971, she founded the first national periodical run entirely by women, called Ms. magazine. She also made her name as a writer, journalist, columnist, essayist, and author,” Painter said on Fox News on Thursday morning.
Steinem began her career as a journalist and gained national recognition in 1963 when she went undercover to expose the poor working conditions for servers inside Hugh Hefner’s Playboy clubs.
She rose to political prominence after she wrote the 1969 article for New York Magazine, “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation.”
She went on to testify in front of the Senate in 1970 to speak in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment, which is a proposed constitutional amendment supporting the “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
Steinem later co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus to boost the number of female legislators in the U.S.
President Barack Obama awarded her the nation’s top civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2013. She was also awarded the United Nations’ Society of Writers Award and the National Gay Rights Advocates Award.
“Steinem was widowed and never had children of her own, but was the step-mother of four children, including actor Christian Bale,” Painter announced on Fox News. Steinem became a widow in December 2003 when her husband, David Bale, died of brain lymphoma.
Steinem’s Instagram page asked her supporters to light a candle in her honor or make a donation to Gloria’s Foundation.
