Social media personalities “Diamond & Silk” have long been among President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters, and their popular pro-Trump videos ultimately landed them appearances on Fox Nation, a Fox News Channel streaming service.
But, for reasons that have yet to be officially explained, Fox has now parted ways with the boisterous Trump-supporting sisters, and it is suspected that the departure is due to controversial commentary about the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Daily Caller.
Fox News splits with Diamond & Silk
The two sisters from North Carolina, Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson — “Diamond” and “Silk,” respectively — first gained prominence on social media during the 2016 election with their vocal support for Trump. Their popularity eventually transitioned into guest appearances on Fox News programs and then a spot in 2018 on the newly-launched Fox Nation platform where they uploaded a weekly video for fans and subscribers.
But according to The Daily Beast, citing an unnamed source “with knowledge of the matter,” Diamond & Silk have now been cut loose by Fox after promoting what the outlet described as “conspiracy theories and disinformation” about the new coronavirus.
The source said of the duo, “After what they’ve said and tweeted you won’t be seeing them on Fox Nation or Fox News anytime soon.”
It was noted that, after regularly uploading a new video every week since Fox Nation launched in 2018, the pair hadn’t posted anything new to the platform since April 7. Furthermore, a review of the networks’ programming showed that Diamond & Silk hadn’t appeared on Fox News since March 6 or Fox Business since March 7.
Coronavirus controversy to blame?
Neither Fox News nor Diamond & Silk responded to requests for comment from The Daily Beast. It is also worth pointing out that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, in 2019 — following a controversial appearance in a Trump re-election campaign video — it was made clear that the sisters were not paid contributors or official employees, but rather were more akin to independent contractors who made appearances solely as unpaid guests.
“Diamond & Silk license short weekly videos to Fox Nation — they are not Fox News contributors or employees. When they appear on FNC and FBN, they do so as guests,” a network spokesperson told the outlet at the time.
Though no official reason has been given for the recent split between Fox and the Trump-supporting sisters, The Daily Beast suggested it had something to do with recent commentary and tweets about the ongoing pandemic that weren’t in line with mainstream narratives, such as a suggestion that the COVID-19 death toll was being inflated to make the president look bad or skepticism about the effectiveness of lockdown orders.
The pair has also come under fire for commentary that was harshly critical of billionaire Bill Gates and his efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine — something that both Diamond & Silk stated they would refuse to receive.
Trump signals support
The duo have yet to address the reported split with Fox directly, but they did cryptically tweet on Monday about their “haters,” a comment which President Trump retweeted along with the message, “But I love Diamond & Silk, and so do millions of people!”
It will be interesting to hear exactly why Fox parted ways with Diamond & Silk and whether the decision truly was because of the pair’s coronavirus commentary or if there was something else afoot.
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