They started out as 'best friends' - two of the highest profile hosts on Fox News - but now, DailyMail.com can reveal that friendship has bloomed into a committed relationship so strong they've blended their lives and their families.
Seen in these exclusive images obtained by DailyMail.com, Sean Hannity, 61, and Ainsley Earhardt, 49, have now settled into domestic bliss, with the couple stepping out and traveling together as a family unit, three years after setting off dating rumors.
The two have always remained tight-lipped about their romance that has been growing day-by-day amid years of speculation, but now these pictures are doing the talking.
Arm-in-arm over breakfast at a Waffle House in South Carolina in January, or cozying up over corn in the cob at an Oyster festival on Long Island last Fall, these never-before-seen photos give a glimpse of just how undeniable their bond has become.
And with Earhardt's seven-year-old daughter, Hayden, never far from their side, those close to the couple have confirmed that what began as a working relationship is now well and truly a family affair, with Hannity proving an 'adoring' step-father-like figure to the young girl.
Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt's romance has evolved into a committed relationship, with exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com showing the couple stepping out in public as a blended family. They are pictured together at a Waffle House in South Carolina in January
After years of rumors and speculation, Earhardt and Hannity are letting their intimate relationship speak for itself, going on dates in plain sight and attending events as a couple. They also attended Oyster Fest in Long Island last fall where they playfully posed together while sharing some corn on the cob
Earhardt, Hannity, and her seven-year-old daughter were seen spending time together as a family most recently in late February during a trip to Palm Beach, Florida
'They are extremely happy together and have been for a while. It's not a surprise to anyone who knows them, but they're very private people and prefer to keep their personal life private and lowkey,' a source close to the pair told DailyMail.com.
'They started out as best friends and the relationship evolved over time.
'He's a generous and kind guy and she is just an incredibly wonderful person – they're a really sweet couple with so much love for each other.'
Most recently, Sean, Ainsley and Hayden were seen spending time together as a family in late February during a trip to Palm Beach, Florida - where Hannity owns a seaside townhouse.
The Fox News pundit, who has two children of his own, has evidently developed a close relationship with little Hayden, whom Earhardt shares with ex-husband Will Proctor.
'Sean adores Ainsley's daughter Hayden,' the insider added.
The tight bond was evident during the trio's trip to Florida on February 26, when they were seen visiting The Colony Palm Beach Hotel - locatedjust two miles from Hannity's close friend Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
The four-star hotel is a popular hangout among Florida Republicans who are known locally to frequent its restaurant or pool areas for a tête-à-tête.
The three were spotted in the lobby ofThe Colony Palm Beach hotel - known locally as a popular Republican hangout - where Earhardt appeared to be on vacation mode, sporting a palm tree printed beach dress and sunglasses
Hannity, 61, meanwhile, was dressed slightly more formally, in a crisp button shirt and black pants, but went without a tie. Earhardt's daughter is standing to his left
The four-star hotel is a popular hangout among Florida Republicans who are known to frequent its restaurant or pool areas for a tête-à-tête
But despite its reputation as a hotspot, the two television hosts had no qualms about potentially being spotted together at the hotel that Sunday afternoon.
Earhardt appeared to be on vacation mode, sporting a palm tree-printed beach dress and sunglasses.
Hannity, 61, meanwhile, was dressed slightly more formally, in a crisp button shirt and black pants. He did lose the tie, however.
A guest at the Colony who spotted the couple told DailyMail.com the three had been leaving the hotel, where Hannity had a meeting with someone earlier, when they were held up in the lobby by Hayden.
The bystander told DailyMail.com: 'A lot of these Trump people have meetings outside by the pool and the restaurant. Hannity was coming back from the pool area and ready to leave the hotel.
'Hannity and Ainsley were waiting for Hayden who had her eye on something in the lobby gift shop.
'She kept saying, "I want one of these." And in true daddy fashion Hannity told her, "You have that at home." After going back and forth for a bit, the girl finally relented and they left the hotel,' the witness added.
It's likely the three had stayed at Hannity's $5.3million townhouse in Palm Beach during their trip to the Sunshine State.
A source close to the pair told DailyMail.com: 'They are extremely happy together and have been for a while'
Sources tell DailyMail.com Hannity and Earhardt started off as 'best friends' but their friendship gradually evolved into something more
It's likely the three had stayed at Hannity's $5.3million townhouse in Palm Beach during their trip to the Sunshine State
The pair's relationship goes back as a far as 2020, when Earnhardt was reported to have been shooting Fox & Friends remotely from the basem*nt of Hannity's mansion in Long Island
The television anchor was reported to have bought the three-bedroom, 3,813 sq ft oceanfront property, which is just a seven-minute drive from Trump's estate, in 2021.
Sources told DailyMail.com Hannity is now working on adding a fourth bedroom to the home as his relationship with Earhardt becomes even more serious.
Hannity and Earhardt's rumored romance has been reported in the past, however, the two have repeatedly refused to comment on the speculation over the years.
In June 2020, just weeks after it was revealed Hannity and former journalist Jill Rhodeshad quietly divorcedyears earlier, a Vanity Fair reportciting several sources at Fox claimed he and Earhardt had been dating for 'quite some time.'
One Fox employee even told the publication that Earhardt had been shooting Fox & Friends remotely from the basem*nt of Hannity's mansion in Oyster Bay, Long Island, at the time.
But when asked to respond to the claims, Hannity refused to comment and Earhardt denied she was even dating anyone at all.
'Right now I am focused on raising my daughter and I am not dating anyone,' she said in a statement at the time.
'As anyone at FOX News will tell you, Sean is a wonderful person and whomever he chooses to date will be extremely fortunate.'
Through a Fox News spokesperson, Hannity told DailyMail.com at the time: 'I do not discuss my personal life in public.'
Despite years of rumors and speculation, the two have remained notoriously tightlipped, refusing to comment on the nature of their relationship
Insiders say the relationship is 'not a surprise to anyone who knows them', including their colleagues at Fox News
While it's been an open secret among Fox staffers, sources say Hannity and Earhardt (pictured with Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2016) are 'private people and prefer to keep their personal life private and lowkey'
But the undeniable closeness and intimacy between the two seen in photos is no secret to their Fox News colleagues.
'Ainsley and Sean are genuine, lovely people who are both truly beloved at Fox News, so everyone at the network has been happy for them for a while,' the source added.
'Sean was there for Ainsley through her mother's illness last fall (she died in October 2022) and was by her side picking up all the pieces – she leaned on him during some extraordinarily difficult times.'
When rumors about the two first began to swirl in 2020, Earhardt was reported to have been spotted near Hannity's home during lockdown after she rented a house in the Hamptons, Page Six reported at the time.
'Sean has a studio at his home, and Ainsley has been using his studio as her remote broadcast location for Fox & Friends,' the source said.
The two were said to have been staying together in Oyster Bay and are '100 per cent dating', another insider said.
Hannity and Earhardt are known for their unwavering support of Trump and are among Fox's most high-profile television personalities
Page Sixfirst reported the divorce betweenHannity and then wife Jill Rhodes, who share two children. They separated in 2015, but managed to keep it quiet.
Meanwhile, Earhardt and ex-husband Will Proctor, split in 2018 and their divorced was finalized in 2019.
A family friend explainedto DailyMail.com at the time that Hannity and Rhodes still have a great co-parenting relationship and when together, 'you don't even realize they split'.
The insider said Hannity took the divorce hard and blamed it on his endless workload, saying the cable news host 'didn't slow down, [and] it unfortunately broke his marriage.'
The close friend told DailyMail.com the exes still maintained a friendly relationship, and get together to spend time with their son Patrick, who is in college, and younger daughter Merri Kelly.
