Smirking Fox News host accused of homophobia over Pete Buttigieg 'slip of the tongue'
Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy has been accused of using an antigay slur against former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a prime-time broadcast.
Campos-Duffy, 53, had been questioning the masculinity of Buttigieg during a segment last week when she appeared to have a slip of the tongue, calling him 'winger-fagger' instead of a 'finger-wagger.'
Buttigieg, who is openly gay, had just appeared on MAGA-friendly comedian Andrew Schulz's 'Flagrant' podcast, sporting a beard and more gruff look.
Campos-Duffy questioned the legitimacy of the former Biden official's style and engagement in the 'manosphere, the male podcast world,' when she made the gaffe.
After playing a clip of Buttigieg chiding fellow Democrats for their 'finger-wagging,' the host asked: 'Isn't Pete the worst virtue-signaling winger-fagger?' before quickly correcting herself and saying 'wagger.'
LGBT news outlet The Advocate wrote that Campos-Duffy 'appeared to coin a new antigay slur' in making the remark.
Some viewers seized on the blunder, accusing the smirking Campos-Duffy of intentionally mixing up her words, while others chalked it up to an innocent mistake.
Scroll down for video:
'FREUDIAN SLIP??' one user wrote on X, adding a series of crying-laughing emojis.
'Rachel Campos-Duffy (whom I love) did a segment on the Jesse Watters show today about the 'finger wagging Democrats' and then this happened!'
'I played it back abt a dozen times,' another commenter added. 'Ultimate Freudian Slip.'
Others brought up how Campos-Duffy's comments came months after her husband, current Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, was picked to replace Buttigieg.
'[Campos-Duffy] is trying to hide the horrible job her husband is doing as Sec of Transportaion [sic] by trashing & bashing Pete Buttigieg,' one commenter opined, flagging recent 'airplane/helicopter accidents.'
A statement from Fox News insisted that the comment was an honest mistake, noting that the host quickly corrected it.
Campos-Duffy - a devout Catholic - has criticized Buttigieg in the past.
In 2022, she called him out on Jesse Watters Primetime for 'going into hiding whenever there's a crisis,' after a slew of flight cancelations and delays during the holidays that year.
Buttigieg has been married to author and LGBTQ activist Chasten Buttigieg since 2018. He has recently ramped up podcast appearances amid rumors he may run for president
FREUDIAN SLIP?? 😂😂😂
Rachel Campos-Duffy (whom I love) did a segment on the Jesse Waters show today about the 'finger wagging Democrats' and then this happened! 👇 pic.twitter.com/JuMMKOPf45
— Texas 🇺🇸 (@MustangMan_TX) April 25, 2025
'The truth is Pete Buttigieg doesn't want this job. He thinks he's better than this job,' she said at the time.
'He wanted to be president, but the American people rejected him, and so he's stuck being the airports czar, and he can't even handle that.'
Buttigieg has since made a plethora of appearances on podcasts like Schulz's and Jon Stewart's, often making comments critical of Trump and his administration.
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