Sean Hannity reportedly pulled a gun on Juan Williams

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published 16 March 2017

As one does in the workplace, Fox News host Sean Hannity pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at contributor Juan Williams last October, three people with knowledge of the incident told CNNMoney.

The pair had just finished sparring on air when Hannity pointed the gun and turned the laser sight on, the individuals said. They said he was just "showing off," CNNMoney reports, but it was enough to rattle Williams and those who witnessed the incident, and his colleagues reported what happened to Fox News executives. The matter made its way to Bill Shine, the network's co-president and one of Hannity's friends. A Fox News spokesperson told CNNMoney the incident was referred to the legal and human resources departments, but didn't mention if Hannity was reprimanded. Fox News said in a statement to The Week that "the situation was thoroughly investigated and it was found that no one was put in any danger."

Hannity and Williams are both downplaying the encounter. "While discussing the incident of firearms, I showed my good friend Juan Williams my unloaded firearm in a professional and safe manner for educational purposes only," Hannity said in a statement. "Every precautionary procedure that I have been trained in since the age of 11 was followed. I've had a conceal carry permit in five states for all my adult life. Any other interpretation of this is outright false reporting." Williams said in his own statement that "the incident is being sensationalized — everything was under total control throughout and I never felt like I was put in harm's way. It was clear that Sean put my safety above all else and we continue to be great friends."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.