Mary Fulling has been married to Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto for nearly 40 years. The couple lives in New Jersey and has a daughter and two sons.
Cavuto has been with the network since it launched in 1996. He hosts the midday Fox Business Network program Cavuto: Coast to Coast, the weekday show Your World on Fox News and CAVUTO Live on Saturday mornings.
On May 18, Cavuto was in the headlines after cautioning his viewers against taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against the coronavirus. Cavuto said during his segment that the drug “will kill you.” He added, “This is a leap that should not be taken casually by those watching at home, or assuming, well, the president of the United States says it’s ok. I only make this not to make a political point here, but a life-and-death point. Be very, very careful.”
Cavuto made this statement following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had been taking hydroxychloroquine for several days. The FDA has warned the drug could have dangerous side effects, especially for the heart, and cautioned against taking hydroxychloroquine outside of a hospital setting or clinical trial.
President Trump retweeted several posts critical of Cavuto in response, including a message that referred to Cavuto as “foolish and gullible.” The president also wrote, “@FoxNews is no longer the same. We miss the great Roger Ailes. You have more anti-Trump people, by far, than ever before. Looking for a new outlet!”
It’s unclear what Fulling thought of this exchange. Despite her husband’s public profile, she and their children have preferred to stay out of the spotlight.
Here’s what you need to know:
Fulling & Cavuto Met While Working On the School Newspaper In College
Neil Cavuto during “Cavuto” on Fox Business Network live from the River Walk at Trump International Hotel & Tower on October 3, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.
Cavuto and Fulling met as college students at St. Bonaventure University, which is a small, private institution in Allegany, New York. According to a 2002 profile in People, Fulling and Cavuto met while working on the school newspaper together.
Cavuto graduated in 1980 with a degree in journalism. His first job was in Washington, D.C. with Investment Age Magazine. But Cavuto relocated to Burlington, Vermont, in 1982 when he decided to pursue a career in front of the camera. Hist first on-air job was with CBS affiliate WCAX-TV as a weekend anchor.
It was during this time period that Cavuto and Fulling tied the knot. They got married in October 1983. In 1989, Cavuto landed a job as an anchor at CNBC. He stayed with the network for seven years before accepting an offer from Fox News.
Fulling Says Cavuto Was Inspired to Work Even Harder Following Health Scares
Neil Cavuto
Cavuto has praised his wife for all of her support throughout his health issues over the years. Cavuto battled Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1987, when his daughter was a toddler. Ten years later, Cavuto was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which can be treated but has no known cure.
Cavuto explained to the Chicago Tribune in 2005 how Fulling’s positive attitude has helped him manage the disease from a mental standpoint:
We just try to keep–not a good sense of humor; you can’t be funny about this sort of stuff–but I tend to joke about stuff. I joke with her that I use the illness to get out of putting out the garbage or doing jobs at home. Then she’ll say, “No, you can still wheel the garbage to the front of the house.” She has a good attitude about it, and I need that.
Fulling explained to People in 2002 that the health issues have made her husband even more determined to keep moving, in both his personal life and at work. Fulling said Cavuto was not the type of person to relax. “Neil is 100 percent the opposite of that. If anything, he goes in to work more now.” Fulling added that as a family, they enjoyed traveling to Alaska, Maine and Canada because the colder environments were better for his MS.
Fulling & Cavuto Raised Their Children In New Jersey & He Acknowledged the Work-Life Balance Was Challenging
Neil Cavuto during “Cavuto” on Fox Business Network. (Getty)
Fulling and Cavuto’s first child, Tara Cavuto, was born in 1985. Their two sons, Jeremy and Bradley, are both teenagers. Cavuto explained to the Hollywood Reporter in 2016 that he and Fulling adopted the boys after learning they could not have any more biological children.
Cavuto acknowledged that his busy work schedule made balance a struggle. He explained to NJ.com in 2015 that he wanted his children to see his efforts, even if he couldn’t always physically attend every event:
I haven’t met a mother or father who hasn’t wrestled with this issue of balancing home and work. Even the most hard-charging executive – male or female – doesn’t wince at missing a child’s game or recital. I’ve missed more than a few such events over the years with my daughter and sons. That’s why I make doubly sure to call and check how that game went. I’ve also discovered technology can be a wonderful thing. Between Skype and Apple Face Time, I always can connect with the family while on the road or on assignment. I know it’s cliche to say it’s quality time over quantity of time, but I’d be the first to admit, there’s no substitute to physically being there. Still, I also think kids are as perceptive as adults. When they see you’re making the effort, they see you’re still trying to make a difference.
The Cavuto family is based in New Jersey. Fulling and Cavuto purchased their current home in Mendham in January 2007, according to Morris County property records. The couple bought the 9,000+ square foot home, which sits on more than five acres, for $6.3 million.
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