Ainsley Earhardt, host of the No. 1 cable television morning show Fox & Friends, opens up about her unexpected road to motherhood in a new White Chair Film released May 7, 2019, from I Am Second, a storytelling organization.
As a girl growing up in small-town South Carolina, Earhardt was enraptured by televised events like the Oscars, and she knew she was meant for a career on screen. Earhardt graduated with a degree in journalism and went on to anchor for top-ranked broadcasts on a state level. In 2007, she moved to New York to begin her career at a national level. Everything was as she wanted it to be.
“I was a planner. I had a whole life planned out—what I was going to do, how I was going to get to New York, what internships I was going to do and what the stepping stones were going to be,” said Earhardt. “But when I started trying to have children, I was not successful.”
When Earhardt finally got pregnant after a long period of trying, she was ecstatic to see the most important part of her life plan coming to fruition. But as she progressed in her pregnancy, what should have been a routine ultrasound appointment instead revealed the greatest tragedy she would ever experience when the doctor couldn’t find a heartbeat.
Earhardt’s miscarriage only deepened her longing and pain.
“You walk down the streets of New York and you see other girls with their carriages, strollers, babies and baby bumps, and you want it so badly,” Earhardt recounts, holding back tears. “I started thinking, Should I have done this earlier? Is this my fault?
Earhardt tried to get pregnant again with no success. After deciding to take a break, she and her husband received an unexpected surprise. On Mother’s Day, Earhardt shared with her family her news of expecting.
She welcomed a healthy baby girl into her life, who today is her pride and joy, but realizes her difficult journey to motherhood was necessary in order to teach her patience and trust.
“This world is amazing, and I am loving my life. And I’m so blessed, but this is not it,” Earhardt reflected. “I just know that women are hurting. I know that men are hurting … Know that God has a plan and God works it all out. Life is such a journey. Every step of it—good or bad—is still beautiful.”
