Dana Perino Has Been With Her Husband Peter McMahon for Over 20 Years

The Gist:

• Dana Perino moderated the second Republican presidential debate in 2023.
• Dana is a Fox News anchor, who has been with the network for over a decade.
• She is also married to Peter McMahon and the two have been together for over 20 years.

Fox News’ Dana Perino brought her hosting talents to the second Republican presidential primary debate in 2023, serving as one of three moderators for the primetime event. While plenty were interested in seeing how the event played out, some were more concerned with Dana’s personal life, including who her husband is.

Before being named as one of the moderators for the second Republican debate, Dana had made a name for herself in politics.

The Fox News co-anchor served as the press secretary for the George Bush administration from 2007 to 2009. According to the New York Post, Dana was raised in Colorado and graduated from Colorado State University Pueblo.

Discover more about the television star's life and learn about her husband here.

Dana has been with her husband, Peter McMahon, since 1998, according to The U.S. Sun. He reportedly hails from a town in England called Blackpool. The two met during a flight and were married less than a year later. Dana and Peter eloped in a quick ceremony, with two strangers serving as witnesses to their nuptials. In an interview with Deseret News, Dana revealed that her parents were unaware of her shotgun wedding as the couple eloped in England.

Peter is a businessman, and he does not appear to have much of an online presence. However, Dana has shared bits of their life together on her Instagram. The couple does not have any children together, although Peter has two kids from a previous marriage. But they did share a dog named Jasper.

Dana and her husband's dog sadly died in 2021. Dana shared the news on Instagram and revealed devastating details about Jasper’s final moments.

“It is with broken hearts that Peter and I have to let you know that Jasper, America’s Dog, died today,” Dana wrote. “A fast-spreading cancer caused him to leave us sooner than we’d ever hoped.”

Dana Perino might be new to the presidential debates, but she is no stranger to politics. She joined Fox News in 2009 and currently serves as the co-anchor for America’s Newsroom and as the co-host on The Five. Ahead of the Republican debate, Dana shared some advice with the candidates and suggested that they alter their tactics for the second Republican political showdown.

“They all agree about Joe Biden,” Dana told Politico. “The way to have a breakout moment is not about what you’re going to say about the current president. It’s about how you think that you would be a better president than the one we have now or the one that we’ve had before that is running again.” Dana goes on to suggest that presidential hopefuls should turn their attention to Trump, and use the platform to showcase how they would be a “better president” than the former head of state.