FOX News star Kat Timpf is going on a temporary hiatus from the network as she continues her treatment for breast cancer.
The 36-year-old Gutfeld! panelist, who revealed her cancer diagnosis in February, announced she would be stepping away from the show for a few weeks as she undergoes surgery.
“The best case scenario of breast cancer can involve quite a road to feeling whole again, so this is the first step in that,” she said.
“Just so the internet can’t come up with theories about where I am, that’s where I am.”
Timpf said that she has a surgery scheduled for next week, and has already undergone a double mastectomy.
The comedian gave birth to a son earlier this year, just hours after receiving her cancer diagnosis.
“I’m lucky that we found the cancer so early; I’m lucky to be my son’s mom,” she announced on Instagram in February.
“I mean, I know I’m biased, but the little dude absolutely rules — and not just because he might have saved my life.”
In the post, she said that she was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer and that her doctor “is confident that it almost certainly hasn’t spread.”
She returned to television in May, joining Greg Gutfeld on the Fox Nation show, What Did I Miss.
Internet Attacks
Timpf had to defend herself against internet trolls doubting her diagnosis and questioning her parenting skills in the past.
In March, she had to clarify her cancer diagnosis after it was called into question.
Kat Timpf stuns in first TV appearance since giving birth & gives health update as Greg Gutfeld teases baby name
“I promise I know more about my own case than people online and do not take life-altering medical treatments lightly,” Timpf said.
The host was also attacked online for attending Coachella, one of her first public outings since the birth of her son and her double mastectomy surgery.
“One fun thing I’ve noticed about being a mom is if you ever post with your baby, or God forbid, having fun without your baby, people are like ‘Oh my God, where’s her baby? She’s a mother. Should a mother be acting like this? Grow up!'” she posted on her social media accounts in April.
“I’ve only been a mom for a couple of months, but I’m starting to think that the only way to be a parent and avoid backlash is to be a dad.”
Kat Timpf’s full statement
An Unconventional Birth Announcement
Last week, I welcomed my first child into the world. About fifteen hours before I went into labor, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Now, before you worry, my doctor says it’s Stage 0 and is confident that it almost certainly hasn’t spread. Or, as I’ve explained to the few people I’ve managed to tell about it so far: Don’t freak out. It’s just, like, a LITTLE bit of cancer.
Still, it was not a chill day. I mean, to say the least! I woke up more-than-a-week-past-due pregnant, completely consumed by doing everything I could to get the baby out. By the middle of the afternoon, I was waddling around from appointment to appointment, talking about how to get my cancer out. I sat and listened as they told me that the best course of action would likely be a double mastectomy as soon as possible. I asked all the questions I could, including if I could get a copy of my tumor ultrasound to put on the fridge next to the ultrasound of my baby. Finally, by the middle of the night, I was crawling around on the floor of my apartment in spontaneous labor, before heading to the hospital to meet my baby, whom I’d learn at the time of birth was a son.
The good news? People who work at hospitals make excellent audiences for dark humor — and, as someone whose first book was about the power of jokes to get through traumatic situations, there was really no better place for me to be. Just minutes after my boy was born, I was talking with the nurses about what a birth announcement in my situation might look like.
Should I go with “Mom and baby are doing well, except maybe for mom’s cancer, and then maybe the baby after breastfeeding is stunted by her double mastectomy,” and then shut off my phone for a week?
Anyway! These next three months of maternity leave are going to look a lot different than I’d anticipated, and I’m still getting used to my new reality. Still, as I navigate new motherhood (and new cancer) I’m learning to celebrate everything I can. I’m lucky that we found the cancer so early; I’m lucky to be my son’s mom. I mean, I know I’m biased, but the little dude absolutely rules — and not just because he might have saved my life.
Thank you all for your support, laughter, and love as I embrace this wildly unexpected chapter. Here’s to resilience, to miracles in the midst of chaos, and to finding humor and hope even on the toughest days.
Kat
In April, the star also had to shut down a troubling rumor that she had died.
“Guys, there are lots of fake accounts posting stuff about me on Facebook which is not accurate, including this one that says I died,” she tweeted.
Despite the internet hate, Timpf has kept a positive outlook.
“Once I recover from childbirth, my mole removal scars heal, I get a double mastectomy, get rid of my cancer, have breast reconstruction surgery & am physically capable of getting back in the gym it’s OVER FOR U B***HEZ #MILF,” she jokingly wrote to Instagram in March.
Fans Show Support
After announcing her next surgery on air, comments poured in supporting Timpf.
“Glad you put it out there like that,” wrote one user on Timpf’s Instagram post.
“Shut down the ridiculous rumor mill before it even begins.”
“The show isn’t the same without you,” another commented.
“[T]ake care of yourself and looking forward to your return!”
