Diamond and Silk Were Fired From Fox News for Spreading False Claims About COVID-19

Diamond and Silk were fired from Fox News after spreading false claims about the coronavirus pandemic. The vloggers joined the streaming platform Fox Nation in the autumn of 2018, where they offered their personal take on the latest political developments on a weekly basis. 

The last episode of their eponymous show aired in March 2019. So, what happened? 

Lynette "Diamond" Hardaway and Rochelle "Silk" Richardson earned notoriety during the 2016 presidential election campaign, after attending rallies in North Carolina and Mississippi. Hailed as "the greatest" by Donald Trump, the sisters played a crucial role in the Republican mediascape up until their eventual firing from Fox News in March 2020. 

Some describe their firing from Fox News as an advancement in the fight for more transparent media practices. For most, the problem is more complicated. 

With a tweet originally posted on Wednesday, April 8, the sisters urged their followers to leave the safety of their homes and expose themselves to the potentially deadly disease. 

"The only way we can become immune to the environment; we must be out in the environment [...] Quarantining people inside of their houses for extended periods will make people sick!" read the post. 

In alignment with the skeptical attitude strongly preferred by Republican propagandists, the sisters claimed that the COVID-19 death counts published every day were heavily manipulated. 

They also argued that Democrats were using the international healthcare crisis to undermine the authority of President Trump. 

They called into question the daily press conferences held by Governor Andrew Cuomo as well. They repeatedly claimed that the virus was "engineered" and "deliberately spread," going off on a long, disbelieving rift about why the number of infections in New Orleans shot up drastically after the annual Mardi Gras celebrations. 

However, the sisters' engagement in dubious journalistic practices had no impact on their relationship with President Trump. 

In fact, he was among the first to express his support in the wake of their firing. 

"But I love Diamond & Silk, and so do millions of people!," President Trump tweeted on Tuesday, April 28. 

Although the sisters were removed from Fox Nation permanently, this hasn't deterred them from making repeated attempts to play a part in the political conversation. 

While their firing from Fox Nation might have given way to a new wave of debates about the importance of implementing regulations within the media industry, the sisters still publish content on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

They were among the few Trump supporters who attended the heavily-contested rally in Tulsa, Okla. 

What's more, they continue to tweet often.

"Diamond and Silk Are Not Politically Correct; We Are Politically Direct!" reads one of their latest posts.