‘Meteorologist weighs in’: Soledad O’Brien dismisses anchor who lost in-laws to Covid in NY nursing homes, backs Cuomo’s response

Media personality Soledad O’Brien was so eager to defend Dr Anthony Fauci’s praise of New York’s Covid-19 response that she dismissed the critiques of fellow tv presenter Janice Dean, because Dean’s just a “meteorologist.”

Fox News presenter Dean, who also lost two in-laws to the virus in the city’s nursing homes, called Fauci’s praise of New York’s Covid-19 response “garbage,” prompting a seemingly mocking response from O’Brien, who tweeted “Meteorologist weighs in.”

Fauci’s recent comments have been particularly divisive, considering the fact that New York has been home to the most coronavirus cases and deaths in the US. And, despite glowing mainstream media appearances – which Dean has chalked up to a “tone-deaf” victory lap – the Governor of New York’s leadership during the pandemic has been questionable, thanks to an early decision to force nursing homes to accept Covid-positive patients, which critics argue is partially behind the high number of cases and deaths in the state. Some detractors estimate the decision contributed over 6,000 fatalities to the state’s death toll.

Dean has been one of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s fiercest critics – and for good reason. The Fox News “meteorologist” lost both her mother and father-in-law to coronavirus, and both died in New York, one in an assisted living facility and the other in a nursing home. 

Even if O’Brien was unaware of Dean’s firsthand experience and loss due to the pandemic, she was quickly made aware of these by critics on social media – and was equally dismissive.

“That ‘meteorologist’s name is @JaniceDean. She’s a working mom w/MS who is married to a hero 9/11 fireman. She lost both in-laws in NY nursing homes thx to Cuomo’s disastrous orders & so yeah, she gets an opinion,” former Fox News host Megyn Kelly tweeted. But O’Brien promptly shrugged off Kelly as “blackface lady,” in reference to controversial comments Kelly made in the past seemingly defending blackface.

Many echoed the same sentiments in their tweets to O’Brien, but the pundit refused to back off her Fauci loyalty and said she had just as much right to comment on the matter as Dean.

O’Brien later theorized that “attacking Fauci is intentional” and again dismissed Dean’s opinion in comparison to “an infectious disease expert.”

Cuomo has remained relatively quiet on New York’s nursing homes deaths, and it’s not a question his own CNN host brother or admiring late-night hosts like Jimmy Fallon are eager to bring up. When he has been confronted with the issue, the governor has shifted the blame, saying nursing home deaths were likely from “staff.”

“It is becoming more and more clear that the infection in the nursing homes came from the staff that got infected and brought it in,” he told NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’

If you like this story, share it with a friend!