Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry has joined the Trump administration as a press advisor to the State Department, capping a years-long shift from sports broadcasting to conservative media to government service.
McHenry, 40, announced the appointment Wednesday on X and LinkedIn, posting a photo of herself beside the official seal in the White House Press Briefing Room. She will serve under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom she praised as a "fellow Floridian" whose political career she has followed "from its inception," the Daily Mail reported.
The move marks a clean break from the media world where McHenry spent 17 years on camera, and where her final chapter included a sexual harassment lawsuit, a confidential settlement, and a public departure from Fox News.
McHenry, originally from Arlington, Virginia, spent three years as a Washington-based reporter for ESPN before the network fired her in 2017 during a sweeping round of company layoffs. That exit came two years after a 2015 suspension over security footage that caught her berating a towing company clerk, an incident for which she later apologized, saying she "allowed my emotions to get the best of me."
After leaving ESPN, she moved toward right-wing political commentary, making appearances on Fox News Media and Fox 5 DC. She eventually co-hosted the Fox Nation show Un-PC alongside George "Tyrus" Murdoch, a former WWE wrestler.
That partnership ended badly. In 2019, McHenry filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in a New York district court naming Fox News Media, Murdoch, and Fox Nation executive Jennifer Rauchet as defendants. McHenry alleged that Murdoch sent her sexually explicit text messages for months in 2018 while they worked together on the show. She further alleged that Rauchet told her she was "replaceable" after she raised concerns.
Murdoch denied the allegations. The case was voluntarily dismissed by both parties in 2021 after they reached a confidential settlement. Tom Clare, the attorney for Murdoch, said he was "pleased that the parties have reached a settlement in which the claims against him will be dismissed with prejudice."
Fox News Media said at the time that while it "is confident it would have prevailed in the lawsuit," it was "pleased to resolve this matter without further litigation." McHenry, in a statement to The Daily Beast, struck a different tone.
"I am very proud to have stood up for my rights and hope that I have empowered other women to do the same. Although I fully stand by the truth of my allegations, I am pleased to put this matter behind me and move forward with my career."
That career has now moved into government. The transition from media personality to political appointee is not unusual in the current political landscape, media figures on both sides have increasingly blurred the line between commentary and political action.
In her LinkedIn announcement, McHenry cast the appointment in personal terms, writing that she was "beyond excited to start this new chapter" and "thankful to every person who helped me in pursuing and achieving this opportunity."
She emphasized the continuity between her broadcasting experience and her new duties, writing: "For 17 years, I have worked on camera covering the news. Now, I get to take that experience and apply it to our country's highest diplomatic agency."
Her praise for Rubio was pointed and specific. She described the Secretary of State as showing "outstanding leadership" in the administration and said he had "appointed an exceptional staff." As the administration builds out its roster of loyalists and allies across federal agencies, appointments like McHenry's reflect a preference for communicators who already share the administration's worldview.
On X, McHenry wrote that she was "honored to serve as a newly appointed press advisor to the State Department, our country's highest diplomatic institution," adding that she was "proud to serve for and work alongside some truly incredible people."
What McHenry will actually do at the State Department remains unclear. The announcement did not describe the specific duties, salary, or term of the role. It is also unknown whether Rubio personally selected her or whether another official handled the appointment. The nature of the position, whether it is a political appointment or a career-track role, was not disclosed.
Those details matter. Press advisors at the State Department can shape how American diplomacy is communicated to the world, and the role carries weight that extends well beyond briefing-room logistics. A 17-year broadcasting career is a relevant credential. Whether it translates into effective government communications is a different question, one McHenry will now have to answer on the job.
The broader pattern of media professionals entering Republican political circles has accelerated in recent years. McHenry's path, from mainstream sports media to conservative commentary to a federal appointment, tracks a route that several right-leaning media figures have followed, though few have landed at an agency as consequential as State.
Her background also includes the kind of public controversy that would have once disqualified a candidate from government consideration. The towing-company incident made national headlines. The Fox News lawsuit raised serious allegations. But McHenry weathered both episodes and kept working, a resilience that, in the current political environment, may count as a qualification rather than a liability.
Washington rewards people who survive their worst headlines and keep showing up. McHenry just traded the anchor desk for a government badge, and the administration clearly decided her fight was a feature, not a flaw.
