Fox Host Roberts Says COVID Vaccine Boosters Triggered Pericarditis
A longtime Fox News anchor has revealed new details about a serious health problem he experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing a condition that disappeared before unexpectedly returning.
The veteran journalist said his body reacted differently as he received additional doses, and he now believes there was a direct connection between the timing of those shots and what happened to his heart.
Fox News “America Reports” co-anchor John Roberts said during a recent on-air interview that he developed pericarditis after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine booster and that the condition returned after he received another booster.
“I remember when I got the boosters, I developed pericarditis, and then that went away,” Roberts said.
“Then, when I had the second booster, it came roaring back again,” he continued.
“So, you know, the body reacts differently to these things depending on who you are,” Roberts added.
Roberts said he received four COVID-19 vaccine doses in total, with his first bout of pericarditis occurring following his third dose, commonly described as the first booster.
Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the thin sac surrounding the heart, and can produce symptoms including sharp chest pain that may sometimes resemble symptoms associated with other heart problems.
Roberts indicated that his first episode eventually subsided, but said the condition “came roaring back again” following his next booster.
The Fox News anchor’s comments are particularly notable because Roberts has publicly discussed a complicated history of heart problems separate from his recent account involving pericarditis.
In early 2022, Roberts underwent a cardiac procedure that resulted in doctors implanting a pacemaker after he experienced additional heart problems, including complications involving a previously implanted stent.
Roberts joked afterward that he was now “battery powered” and acknowledged that he had not been feeling well before undergoing the procedure.
The longtime correspondent has also publicly discussed his battle with atrial fibrillation, commonly known as AFib, which causes an irregular and sometimes rapid heartbeat.
Roberts wrote in a 2024 social media post that he was seeking treatment at the Cleveland Clinic for “the intractable AFib that has plagued me since that whole ‘COVID thing.'”
He subsequently underwent an ablation procedure and later reported encouraging news about his recovery.
“One year ago today, I underwent ablation for the intractable AFib that has plagued me since that whole ‘COVID thing,'” Roberts wrote in a later update.
“Happy to report not a single episode since,” he added.
Roberts’ latest remarks represent a notable evolution in his public discussion of COVID vaccination because he was outspoken about being vaccinated earlier in the pandemic.
After controversy surrounding a social media post in 2021 questioning the long-term effectiveness of COVID vaccines following the death of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Roberts pushed back against suggestions that he was opposed to vaccination.
Roberts said at the time that he had been vaccinated, had participated in a public service announcement encouraging others to get vaccinated and intended to receive a booster himself.
He has also previously discussed suffering from symptoms associated with long COVID and cited those health concerns when explaining his decision to receive another vaccine dose.
Roberts’ comments do not establish that every cardiac problem he has experienced was caused by vaccination, particularly given his preexisting cardiovascular history, but he specifically attributed the onset and recurrence of his pericarditis to the boosters he received.
For Roberts, the most striking part of the experience was how dramatically his own reaction changed following additional doses.
“The body reacts differently to these things,” Roberts said, “depending on who you are.”
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
