CBS reporter says she was pulled off air questioning Fauci

A former CBS News journalist has claimed she was temporarily pulled off air after questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci's guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brittney Hopper, who worked for CBS News Los Angeles until 2022, made the remarks during an appearance on Australia's News24 on July, 30, 2026, following Fauci's testimony before a Senate hearing the previous day.

Hopper said her experience covering the pandemic for the network demonstrated that questioning Fauci was effectively off limits. She recounted that after years of reporting on the pandemic, she began to question his actions and was subsequently taken off air for a couple of days. She stated that she apologized and returned to her duties, but characterized herself as having been a "puppet" for mainstream media during that period. CBS News, when contacted for comment, noted that Hopper had left the network prior to editor-in-chief Bari Weiss taking over in 2025.

Her comments came one day after Dr. Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and...