Vice President JD Vance’s latest appearance on Fox News’ The Five started as an opportunity to advertise his new book — but things took a turn after a host claimed it was “too gay” to serve fudge on National Fudge Day.
Vance joined the talk show Tuesday to discuss the Trump administration and promote his new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which explores his journey as a Christian and his conversion to Catholicism in his 30s. But the discussion shifted to another topic at the end of the episode, when Vance and the hosts were presented with slices of lime green pickle cake.
Host Jesse Watters explained it was National Fudge Day, and that he initially wanted to bring the vice president fudge to celebrate. But, Watters said that would’ve been “too gay,” so he instead opted for “pickle cake,” which he described as having “dozens of layers of creamy green frosting, complete with tiny chunks of pickle rind.”
“I was going to do fudge, because it’s National Fudge Day, for the VP, but I thought it’d be too gay, so I did pickle cake instead,” Watters said.
The Fox News host did not elaborate further, though reports have suggested he may have been referencing a derogatory slur used against gay men that involves the word “fudge.” Vance appeared to smile and laugh before thanking the hosts.
The Independent has reached out to Fox News and the vice president’s office for comment.
Vance’s latest book, released Tuesday, follows his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which skyrocketed him to fame and laid the groundwork for his career in politics.
The vice president has promoted the book on several talk shows in recent days, including The View, where he was grilled on a number of issues, including Jeffrey Epstein, immigration, the economy. At one point, co-host Ana Navarro pressed the vice president on reports of “subhuman” conditions in immigrant detention centers.
“I would urge you, as a Christian, and as a father, to visit those detention centers where the children are being held, and make sure that the conditions live up to the values that we hold in this country,” she said.
Vance’s latest book also made headlines earlier this year after Joe Perticone, The Bulwark’s national political reporter, pointed out that the cover image depicts Mount Zion, a United Methodist house of worship in Elk Creek, Virginia, rather than a Catholic church.
“Mount Zion is undeniably photogenic, which is why it’s also a popular stock image…Vance’s choice of photo struck me as odd, given that the vice president has been outspoken about his Catholic faith,” Perticone wrote in March.