Darla Shine has been married to Donald Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Bill Shine, since 1995. Since her husband’s appointment to the role in the summer of 2018, many of Darla’s political and social views have become public. Darla has made it clear that she is an anti-vaxxer and that she has a problem with political correctness.
Darla and Bill Shine met while both were working at PBS together. The couple has two children and lives on Long Island. In 2017, Shine was ousted as a co-president at Fox News after a series of sexual harassment allegations were labeled at some of the network’s most recognizable figures. Shine had been accused of enabling the behavior of some, including chief executive Roger Ailes.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Darla Tweeted, Citing a Study, that ‘Measles Kills Cancer’
On February 13, Darla set off another Twitter firestorm when began discussing her anti-vaxxer stance. Darla dismissed a CNN report on the rise of measles in the U.S. being related to anti-vaxxer activism. Darla wrote, “Here we go LOL #measlesoutbreak on #CNN #Fake #Hysteria The entire Baby Boom population alive today had the #Measles as kids. Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases they keep you healthy & fight cancer.”
In a subsequent tweet, Darla said, “I had the #Measles #Mumps #ChickenPox as a child and so did every kid I knew – Sadly my kids had #MMR so they will never have the life long natural immunity I have. Come breathe on me!” The World Health Organization says that measles is among the leading causes of death for children across the world. Most measles deaths across the world occur between the ages of 5 and 30. Darla has accused those who disagree with her on vaccinations are “Democrat Russian Bots.”
Citing a report from the Centers for Disease Control, CNN said that there had been more than 100 cases of measles diagnosed in ten states in the first few weeks of 2019. The governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, has declared a state of emergency over the measles issue. Darla tweeted regarding this saying, “People texting I’m spreading lies about #vaccines. I’m retweeting physicians, scientific studies, and questioning why #Media covers #MeaslesOutbreak one-sided. Many of the kids w/ #Measles in #Washington WERE #Vaccinated Go ask their #Governor.” Washington’s Public Health Department says that one of the 53 people infected in their outbreak received the vaccination.
In 2000, the CDC said that measles had been eradicated in the United States. The eradication was credited to a “highly effective vaccination program in the United States, as well as better measles control in the Americas region.”
Darla went on to discuss the benefits of having measles, tweeting a link to CNN report from 2014 about a woman who had incurable cancer and was given measles as a cure. That report detailed a story in which the woman was given a genetically engineered case of measles at the Mayo Clinic, not a common strain of the virus. That engineered virus, CNN says, can cure multiple myeloma.
2. Darla Was Not Happy When the Confederate Flag Was Blamed in Part for Dylan Roof’s 2015 Massacre
In July 2018, Mediaite was the first to compile a list of many of Darla’s tweets on politics, vaccinations and race. Among those tweets saw Darla question why it was okay for black people to say the n-word but not okay for white people to say it. Darla was specifically talking about singing along to the Kanye West song, “Golddigger,” in one tweet. Shortly after the Mediaite article was published, Darla deactivated her Twitter account. It has since been reactivated.
Darla Shine deleted her Twitter account as soon as Bill Shine officially joined the Trump administration, but I saved all her tweets — here’s a sampling of her hot takes t.co/BUs9RQ1i7A
Darla also spoke about being an anti-vaxxer and in 2015, Darla said that “Big Pharma” was to blame for Dylan Roof’s massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Darla tweeted, via Mediaite, “Yes lets blame the Confederate Flag instead of Big Pharma and the psychiatric violence inducing Suboxone Dylan Roof was taking.”
3. Darla Is a TV Producer in Her Own Right
Twitter/Darla Shine
Darla had a career in television prior to getting married. The couple met while they were both working as producers. A New York Times 2015 feature on Shine says that he met his wife while working in local stations on Long Island. A 2004 article on Shine says that the couple was working together at WLIW, Long Island’s PBS affiliate. At the time, Darla went by her maiden name, Darla Seneck.
A Broadcasting Cable article on the couple says that they were paired together as producers in 1995, the year they were married, Darla got Shine a job producing a political debate show which led Shine to meet Sean Hannity. That would ultimately lead Shine to work at Fox News.
4. Darla Once Stated Her Belief that Women in the Military Should Expect Sexual Harassment
Darla said during an episode of her radio show, that ran between 2008 and 2009, that women who enter the military should expect sexual harassment. That revelation came as part of an extensive report from CNN’s KFile. “The Darla Shine Show” aired on Talk Radio Network and was broadcast to 100 stations across the country.
KFile quoted Darla as declaring herself to be a sexist and saying, “And why on earth would you fight to go on the submarine ship for months on end? You know there was just a story with these girls, these women who are upset that they are sexually harassed in the military. What do you think is going to happen when you go on a submarine for 12 months with 4,000 horny soldiers? I hate to say it, but it’s true. They should not even be allowed. The top military should say, ‘No way, you’re not allowed.’ But you know, the feminists have fought for these rights. It’s so stupid. I don’t know why anybody would want that.”
5. Darla Is a Declared ‘Happy Housewife’
Twitter/Darla Shine
Darla has also authored a book on being a stay-at-home mom titled, “Happy Housewives.” In the About section of her website, Happy Housewives Club, Darla says, “I never wanted to be a housewife. I grew wanting to not be like my mother.” Darla says that her opinion changed after she gave birth to her first child. Darla added that the family was financially strained after she lost her paycheck. She says that she was able to turn being a stay-at-home mom into a career through writing a book and blogging. The About section concludes with the lines, “Life is short and now that I am in my forties I don’t want to waste a minute. I want to be the best wife, mother, daughter, citizen, and friend that I can be.”
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