Short questions with Dana Perino

You’ve seen us on screen, but have you ever wondered what we’re like off-camera? 

For the last few months, I’ve enjoyed checking in with some of your favorite Fox personalities to learn more about who they are behind the scenes. 

What’s the one thing Jesse Watters couldn’t live without? What’s Bill Hemmer’s favorite Halloween costume? And what’s sitting on Greg Gutfeld’s nightstand? 

But that’s not all! The fun is just getting started.

But if you handed me a trumpet, I can play it to this day, with or without the beer. 

Q: What is your favorite Halloween costume you ever had?

JF: I was Superman in third grade and absolutely loved it. 

That being said, I was a chubby little kid, so the spandex costume wasn’t the best look. Instead of “Up, up, and away,” I’m pretty sure people were saying, “Up, up, and how much do you weigh?” 

Q: Who are your biggest role models?

JF: My biggest role models are my older siblings. I have two brothers who are cops and a sister in banking. 

Growing up, they all got good grades, had killer work ethics and went super hard at everything they did, especially making fun of me. 

We talked a stunning amount of smack at our kitchen table, but looking back now, I realize that I’m basically what would happen if you took their work ethic and combined it with a lot more talent. You heard me, Joe, Sue and Mike. 

The fact that Fox has enabled me to preach this silly gospel to such a broad audience is really cool to a small town gal like me. 

Q: What song instantly puts you in a good mood?

JF: This changes constantly because when I get into a song, I play it until I hate it. I’m talking 200-300 times a week, and then I don’t listen to it again for three years.

Right now I’m abusing “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)” by James Brown. 

Our family lives to drive around aimlessly and blast music. Once in a while we stop for food or gas, but it’s mostly just three people getting bad tan lines from their seatbelts. 

Q: Which fictional character would be the most exciting to meet in real life?

JF: Back when I was a cab driver, I had a dream that Cinderella was in the back of my taxi with six minutes to get home, and I’d love to see if I could pull it off in real life. 

“Cinderella wouldn’t make the list of the top 25 oddest things I’ve seen in a taxi.”

Q: Did you ever get detention in school?

JF: I once got detention in 9th grade for talking too much in class and wound up getting “in-school suspension” for talking too much during that detention. I could go on for days about this … 

Q: What would be your last meal?

JF: The key to a good last meal is wanting to die after you eat it. 

For that reason I would go with the most gluttonous thing we serve in my house, which is called a “steak and spaghetti.” My son Lincoln and I love to fry porterhouse steaks in butter — and top them off with spaghetti and tater tot medallions.

It works a lot better than it sounds, and it always leaves you in a bloated state of self-disgust that would make you happy to see a firing squad. 

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To read all of Dana Perino’s earlier “Short Questions” interviews for Fox News Digital, check out this (long) list!

For her interview with Dr. Arash Akhavan, click here. 

For her interview with Martha MacCallum, click here. 

For her interview with Bret Baier, click here. 

For her interview with Leo Terrell, click here.

For her interview with Geraldo Rivera, click here. 

For her interview with Clay Travis, click here.

For her interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, click here.

For her interview with Jesse Watters, click here. 

You know us on screen — but what about off? 

I thought it’d be fun to check in with some of your favorite Fox personalities (plus a few surprise appearances!) to learn more about who they are behind the scenes. 

And who’s on the docket this week? 

It’s none other than Leo Terrell, a civil rights attorney and Fox News contributor. Hope you get a kick out of our Q&A below!

And stay tuned for more — I’ll have a revealing new piece each week. 

This week, Dana Perino asks a few “short questions” of Leo Terrell — including about the advice that has stuck with him the most over the years. (Fox News)

Q: Favorite emoji to use in text messages?

LT: My favorite and most used — the thumbs-up and the smile.

Q: What’s worth splurging on?

LT: Anything that will improve my quality of life. Specifically becoming as healthy as possible.

Q: What advice has stuck with you the most over the years?

LT: Do not stereotype. Everyone is different! I live by that rule — as a school teacher, as a lawyer and in my personal life.

Q: Suggestions for graduates who are thinking about going to law school?

LT: The rule of law governs every civilized society. Serving as a lawyer benefits society. I am proud to serve as a lawyer and I know my profession helps people.

Q: What’s your secret to having such an eclectic group of friends?

LT: I am constantly on the lookout for higher intelligence. I love to learn from others!

Q: What would you want as your last meal?

LT: Something very unhealthy like pizza and apple pie with ice cream!

Q: What makes for a sharp-dressed man?

LT: Having a woman select my attire.

Q: How much do you love dogs? And when are you getting one?

LT: You know the answer. I love dogs. Planning to welcome my new best friend in 2025.

Q: Sunrise or sunset?

LT: Sunrise. I am an early bird. I get so much done in the morning.

Q: Bucket list place to travel to that you’ve not been to yet?

LT: Island vacation. Aruba?!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Want to read all of Dana Perino’s earlier “Short Questions” interviews?

For her interview with Geraldo Rivera, click here. 

For her interview with Clay Travis, click here.

For her interview with Greg Gutfeld, click here. 

For her interview with Benjamin Hall, click here. 

For her interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, click here.

For her interview with Jesse Watters, click here. 

You know us on screen — but what about off? 

I thought it’d be fun to check in with some of your favorite Fox personalities (plus a few surprise appearances!) to learn more about who they are behind the scenes. 

And who’s on the docket this week? 

It’s none other than Geraldo Rivera, one of my co-hosts on “The Five.”  

Hope you enjoy our Q&A below!

And stay tuned for lots more — I’ll have a revealing new Q&A each week.

This week, Dana Perino asks a few key questions of Geraldo Rivera — including, “Do you believe in ghosts?” (Fox News)

Q: What is the worst job you ever had?

GR: Morning radio host. Often seen prowling around my home very late at night, I am not a morning person. Imbued with a hardy work ethic since childhood, I still had to drag my sorry a– to the radio station every morning for seven years under muttered protest.

Q: What are you most grateful for?

GR: Having been blessed in so many ways, the one that always comes first is the health of my family. And my country — especially uniformed service-folk — and my children and grandchildren.

Q: What book has had a profound impact on you?

GR: Corny, but “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand definitely molded my now fundamental belief in self-reliance, energy and ambition. “Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien encouraged daydreams of noble struggles against evildoers. And lastly, “The Horatio Hornblower Saga” by C.S. Forester made me a seafaring man.

Q: What song instantly puts you in a good mood? 

GR: “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” by Bob Dylan.

Q: What are your three best pieces of advice?

GR: Believe in yourself. Work hard. Be kind, strong, brave and generous.

Q: Do you believe in ghosts?

GR: Only when experiencing an altered state.

Q: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

GR: At almost 80 years old, I still daydream of being a pro athlete.

Q: If you could travel back to any date or year in a time machine, when and where would you choose and why?

GR: Thursday, Nov. 21, 1963. So I could stop Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating JFK the next day.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the work you do?

GR: I was going to joke that there’s no heavy lifting, but the real answer is that I get the chance to be part of the national dialogue, often speaking to the great events of the day.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Want to read all of Dana Perino’s earlier “Short Questions” interviews?

For her interview with Clay Travis, click here.

For her interview with Greg Gutfeld, click here. 

For her interview with Benjamin Hall, click here. 

For her interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, click here.

For her interview with Jesse Watters, click here. 

You know us on screen — but what about off? 

I thought it’d be fun to check in with some of your favorite Fox personalities (plus a few surprise appearances!) to learn more about who they are behind the scenes. 

And who’s on the docket this time around?

It’s none other than Clay Travis, founder of OutKick — and I hope you get a kick out of our Q&A below!

Stay tuned for lots more — I have plenty of other revealing Q&As coming along.

In a new series for Fox News Digital, “Short Questions with Dana Perino,” Clay Travis of OutKick reveals the one thing he couldn’t live without.  (Fox News)

Q: What is the best advice you’ve been given?

CT: If you worry about the opinions of people who don’t like you, then the people who do like you won’t like you anymore. 

Q: What is your favorite piece of advice to give? 

CT: If you want to work in media, read everything. And your ability to write a coherent argument is the foundation of any media career. You can’t do good radio or TV, in my opinion, without being a good writer. 

Q: What would you name your boat if you had one? 

CT: Travisty (this is an intentional misspelling for the people who will email). 

Q: Pick one: March Madness or College Bowl Games? 

CT: College bowl games. College football, in my always humble opinion, is the greatest, most fun sport in America. 

Q: Greatest athlete of all time? 

CT: Of my life? Bo Jackson.

Q: One thing you couldn’t live without … 

CT: Football — college and pro. 

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

CT: A fighter pilot or a pro-athlete 

Q: Best restaurant in Nashville? 

CT: Bourbon Steak — the view is the best in Nashville.  

Q: What is your go-to karaoke song? 

CT: “Dixieland Delight” (I am tone-deaf and the worst singer of all time, though). 

Q: What’s your best dad joke? 

CT: What’s the difference between broccoli and boogers? Kids won’t eat broccoli. (This is a vintage dad joke … My dad used it throughout my childhood.)

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Want to read Dana Perino’s earlier “Short questions” interviews?

For her interview with Greg Gutfeld, click here. 

For her interview with reporter Benjamin Hall, click here. 

For her interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, click here.

For her interview with Jesse Watters, click here.