Scottie Nell Hughes
{{Short description|American news anchor and commentator}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{infobox person
|image=Scottie Nell Hughes.jpg
|image_size=
|caption=Hughes in 2014
|name=Scottie Nell Hughes
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|6|21|mf=y}}
|party = Republican
|spouse(s) = Chris Hughes
|children = 2
}}
Scottie Nell Hughes (born 21 June 1980) is an American journalist, news anchor and political commentator who was employed by RT. She was a paid CNN commentator during the 2016 presidential election, often speaking in support of then-candidate Donald Trump.{{Cite web |last=Nuzzi |first=Olivia |date=2016-10-19 |title=The Desperate Gamble of Scottie Nell Hughes, World's Most Loyal Trump Surrogate |url=https://www.gq.com/story/desperate-gamble-of-scottie-nell-hughes-trump-surrogate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107003458/https://www.gq.com/story/desperate-gamble-of-scottie-nell-hughes-trump-surrogate |archive-date=2022-01-07 |access-date=2016-12-05 |website=GQ |language=en |issn=0016-6979}}{{Cite web |last=Pennacchia |first=Robyn |date=2016-12-02 |title=Trump Idiot Scottie Nell Hughes Says Facts Don't Exist |url=http://wonkette.com/609020/trump-idiot-scottie-nell-hughes-says-facts-dont-exist-also-shes-the-lindbergh-baby |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012090608/https://www.wonkette.com/trump-idiot-scottie-nell-hughes-says-facts-dont-exist-also-shes-the-lindbergh-baby |archive-date=2021-10-12 |website=Wonkette |language=en |accessdate=2016-12-05}}{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Esther |date=2016-04-04 |title=Trump Supporter Hurt by Cecily Strong's Impression of Her on 'SNL': 'Ultimate Shaming' |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/donald-trump-supporter-scottie-nell-hughes-hurt-by-cecily-strongs-snl-parody-w201451/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919225616/https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/donald-trump-supporter-scottie-nell-hughes-hurt-by-cecily-strongs-snl-parody-w201451/ |archive-date=2020-09-19 |website=Us Weekly |language=en |issn=1529-7497 |accessdate=2022-03-03}}{{Cite web |last=Ellefson |first=Lindsey |date=2016-07-05 |title=Scottie Nell Hughes Announces New Gig at CNN in Most Ostentatious Way Possible |url=http://www.mediaite.com/online/scottie-nell-hughes-announces-new-gig-at-cnn-in-most-ostentatious-way-possible/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301155618/https://www.mediaite.com/online/scottie-nell-hughes-announces-new-gig-at-cnn-in-most-ostentatious-way-possible/ |archive-date=2021-03-01 |access-date=2016-10-25 |website=Mediaite |language=en}}
Hughes joined RT America as a full-time anchor in September 2018 and was the host of a daily news show News Views Hughes.{{Cite news |last=Barr |first=Jeremy |date=2018-09-06 |title=Former CNN Contributor Scottie Nell Hughes Joins RT America as Anchor |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cnn-contributor-scottie-nell-hughes-joins-russian-network-rt-america-1140317 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-03-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514004732/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cnn-contributor-scottie-nell-hughes-joins-russian-network-rt-america-1140317/ |archive-date=2021-05-14 |issn=0018-3660 |language=en}} After losing the majority of its cable and satellite coverage following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, RT America ceased operations on March 3, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Darcy |first=Oliver|title=RT America ceases productions and lays off most of its staff |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/03/media/rt-america-layoffs/index.html |access-date=2024-05-24|date=2022-03-03|website=CNN}}
Biography
Hughes graduated magna cum laude with a broadcast communications/political science degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin.{{Cite web |date=2014-03-07 |title=BIO |url=http://scottienellhughes.com/bio/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124000451/http://scottienellhughes.com/bio/ |archive-date=2017-11-24 |access-date=2016-11-01 |website=Scottie Hughes |language=en}} Her first network TV appearance was on CNN's Piers Morgan Live, where she defended the right to keep and bear arms; her brother Cliff had been shot and killed, before she was born.{{Cite news |last=Schmitt |first=Brad |title=Donald Trump stumper Scottie Nell Hughes' family tragedy |work=The Tennessean |url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/columnists/inside-nashville/2016/02/25/donald-trump-scottie-nell-hughes-family-tragedy/80931064/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2016-11-01 |issn=1053-6590}}
Hughes began her career as an executive producer on the Steve Gill Show in Nashville, Tennessee. With an established radio career, she went on to take producing positions with The Rusty Humphries Show, The Michael Berry Show, The Mark Skoda Show, and many others. She also was in the first group of radio talk show hosts sent by the Department of Defense to travel to the front lines of Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Kuwait, as well as the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. She was news director of the Tea Party News Network{{Cite news |last=Levine |first=Daniel S. |date=2017-07-07 |title=Scottie Nell Hughes: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |work=Heavy.com |url=http://heavy.com/news/2017/07/scottie-nell-hughes-charles-payne-accuser-sexual-harassment-cnn-fox-age-bio/ |url-status=live |access-date=2017-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026123525/http://heavy.com/news/2017/07/scottie-nell-hughes-charles-payne-accuser-sexual-harassment-cnn-fox-age-bio/ |archive-date=2020-10-26 |language=en}} and served as a political commentator for CNN until her contract expired in {{date|January 2017}}.{{Cite news |last=Concha |first=Joe |date=2017-01-12 |title=Trump supporter Scottie Nell Hughes to part ways with CNN |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/314119-trump-supporter-scottie-nell-hughes-to-part-ways-with-cnn |url-status=live |access-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216030214/https://thehill.com/homenews/media/314119-trump-supporter-scottie-nell-hughes-to-part-ways-with-cnn |archive-date=2022-02-16 |issn=1521-1568 |oclc=31153202 |language=en}}
On 18 September 2017, Hughes sued Fox News asserting she had been raped by Fox Business Network host Charles Payne. He denied the accusation, was suspended by the network pending an investigation into his conduct and, after the investigation was completed, was reinstated.{{Cite news |last=Steel |first=Emily |date=2017-09-19 |title=Woman Says Fox News Banned Her After She Accused Charles Payne of Rape |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/business/media/fox-news-lawsuit-charles-payne.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=2019-03-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130193721/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/business/media/fox-news-lawsuit-charles-payne.html |archive-date=2022-01-30 |issn=1553-8095 |oclc=1645522 |language=en}} Hughes said her two-year sexual relationship with Payne was coerced and that she believed it would help her obtain a permanent position at the network.{{Cite news |last=Ali |first=Yashar |date=2017-07-06 |title=Conservative Analyst Scottie Nell Hughes Accuses Fox Business Host of Sexual Harassment |work=HuffPost |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scottie-nell-hughes-charles-payne-sexual-harassment_us_595ecec1e4b0615b9e9074e4 |url-status=live |access-date=2017-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216203540/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/scottie-nell-hughes-charles-payne-sexual-harassment_n_595ecec1e4b0615b9e9074e4 |archive-date=2021-12-16 |language=en}} Her appearances were drastically reduced after she ended the relationship in 2015 and reported Payne to Fox.{{Cite news |last=Battaglio |first=Stephen |date=2017-07-06 |title=Fox suspends business news host Charles Payne amid sexual harassment allegations |work=Los Angeles Times |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-charles-payne-fox-business-20170706-story.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126010043/https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-charles-payne-fox-business-20170706-story.html |archive-date=2022-01-26 |accessdate=2017-07-07 |language=en}} She sued Fox for retaliation for reduction of her appearances on Fox, which suit was settled with details unknown.{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Eriq |date=2018-09-26 |title=Fox News Settles Retaliation Lawsuit From Scottie Nell Hughes |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/fox-news-settles-retaliation-lawsuit-scottie-nell-hughes-1147106 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513235857/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/fox-news-settles-retaliation-lawsuit-scottie-nell-hughes-1147106/ |archive-date=2021-05-13 |issn=0018-3660 |language=en}}
She wrote the 2014 Roar: The New Conservative Woman Speaks Out.{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=Scottie Nell |url={{GBUrl|z6mIDwAAQBAJ}} |title=Roar: The New Conservative Woman Speaks Out |date=2014 |publisher=Worthy Publishing |isbn=978-1-61795-467-2 |lccn=2014940725 |oclc=887107325 |via=Google Books |language=en}}
In a live interview broadcast on CNN the day before the 2016 presidential election, she confused the word "Molotov" with mazel tov, a Jewish expression of congratulations or good luck, when she stated that a video by rap music artist and Hillary Clinton supporter Jay-Z begins "with a crowd throwing mazel tov cocktails."{{Cite news |last=McMurry |first=Evan |date=2016-11-07 |title=Donald Trump Supporter's 'Mazel Tov Cocktail' Comment Delights Twitter |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-supporters-mazel-tov-cocktail-comment-delights/story?id=43362527 |url-status=live |access-date=2017-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413015237/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-supporters-mazel-tov-cocktail-comment-delights/story?id=43362527 |archive-date=2021-04-13 |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Webarchive| url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826064023/http://scottienellhughes.com/| date=2018-08-26| title=Scottie Nell Hughes {{!}} #HughesInTheHouse}}
- {{C-SPAN}}
{{CNN personnel}}
{{RT programs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Scottie Nell}}
Category:21st-century American women
Category:American political commentators
Category:American women journalists
Category:RT (TV network) people