Fox News anchor Bret Baier opened up about overcoming challenges with family, including when his oldest son Paul was diagnosed with congenital heart defects at birth.
Speaking with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Baier said the doctors told them that Paul was in perfect health when he was born. However, a nurse—whom they now refer to as their guardian angel—noticed that Paul was pale as they got ready to bring him home from the hospital.
Five congenital heart abnormalities were found in Paul after a battery of tests.
The news broke Bret and Amy’s hearts. Their 6-pound, 12-ounce infant required open heart surgery in a matter of days, and there was a possibility he would not make it. They were also unable to bring him home.
“We just didn’t know, I mean, looking back, it was a hard time. It still hits home. I mean this many years later, we’ve been through this many surgeries and this many angioplasties and you can see, it’s still emotional. I just collapsed and I think the stress of it all, I think my body emotionally just shut down,” Baier said.
“The day of Paul’s heart surgery we had a local priest come and pray with us in the little hospital chapel,” Amy explained. “And as we were praying, we were all kind of holding hands and I saw this vision of these beams of light all around Paul’s surgical bed and I just knew in my heart he was going to be okay.”
Over the summer, Baier gave an emotional acceptance speech after winning a major award ahead of the weekend, during which he revealed the “highest of highs” and the “lowest of lows” his family has experienced during his career.
Baier was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, which honors various business, civic, and cultural leaders.
During the celebration, a video played that recalled Baier’s childhood and early career before he became the anchor of Fox’s flagship news program.
The anchor discussed overcoming challenges with family, including when his oldest son Paul was diagnosed with congenital heart defects at birth.
“My success is really a blessing, but we went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. When my son Paul was born, it was our first child and the cardiologist came and talked to us and said that he had five serious congenital heart defects,” Baier said.
“And if he didn’t have open heart surgery in the next few days, he would die. And that moment changes your life. The small bickering up on Capitol Hill that you cover day to day goes away because there are much bigger things that people have to deal with,” he added.
“Everybody has something. This was our something. And getting through that, over that open heart surgery and three others, ten angioplasties — it was a big, big challenge. Today his heart is pumping just like anybody else’s, so we’re really blessed,” Baier said.
In September 2023, Fox announced a major contract extension with Baier, which was last renewed in 2021 for a five-year term that would have kept him at the cable network until at least 2025.
“We are thrilled to have Bret continue leading our political coverage as we head into the 2024 election season and beyond,” said Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Channel. The contract was renewed earlier than expected, indicating confidence in Baier’s work. UTA handles Baier’s representation.
Wallace added in a statement: “We are thrilled to have Bret continue leading our political coverage as we head into the 2024 election season and beyond.”
Baier added, “I am honored to continue anchoring Special Report and alongside my dedicated team and co-anchoring our election coverage for many years to come.”
“Baier has conducted numerous interviews with world leaders, sitting presidents, politicians, and celebrities throughout his 27-year tenure with FNC, including: former President Trump, then-President Barack Obama, then-President George W. Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Dalai Lama, actor Matthew McConaughey and many others. In the current 2024 election cycle he has interviewed Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr as well as Republican candidates, including Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson,” Fox News said in a press release.
“He has also moderated two iterations of The Senate Project series on FOX Nation, a bipartisan forum at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute which featured Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in 2022 and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in 2023,” the release added.
It continued: “Baier is the author of five New York Times bestsellers and will be releasing his latest book “To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment” in October. He was FNC’s chief White House correspondent, covering President Bush from 2006-2009 and served as national security correspondent from 2001-2006. On September 11th, he traveled from Atlanta, where he was based as a correspondent for FNC, to cover the terrorist attacks from the Pentagon which then led to his extensive career in Washington.”