Relationships in the public eye usually follow a predictable script. There’s the glamorous wedding, the curated Instagram photos of toddlers, and then—eventually—the "conscious uncoupling" statement that sounds like it was written by a legal team in a windowless room. But the story of Ainsley Earhardt and Will Proctor hasn't quite stuck to that boring Hollywood template. It’s been messy, quiet, and surprisingly mature all at once.
If you’ve been following Fox News for more than five minutes, you know Ainsley. She’s the face of Fox & Friends, the morning powerhouse that basically sets the agenda for half the country. Will Proctor? He was the star quarterback at Clemson, a guy who once won a Grey Cup in the CFL before pivoting to the high-stakes world of New York finance.
They seemed like the ultimate "All-American" power couple. Then it all fell apart.
The Breakup That Wasn't Supposed to Happen
Honestly, back in 2012, when they got married, nobody saw a divorce coming. They were both deeply religious, successful, and seemed genuinely obsessed with each other. When their daughter, Hayden, was born in 2015, Ainsley even wrote a children’s book, Take Heart, My Child, inspired by her hopes for the girl.
Everything changed in October 2018.
Ainsley dropped a bombshell via a network spokesperson: she and Will were separating. But it wasn't just a "we grew apart" situation. Whispers started flying about infidelity. Specifically, rumors surfaced that Will had been unfaithful with one of Ainsley’s close friends.
Will didn't take that lying down. He fired back immediately, filing for divorce the very next day in New York. He told the New York Post there wasn't "one ounce of truth" to the cheating allegations. He said he was devastated. He was disappointed. Most importantly, he was committed to being a dad.
It was a public collision of two very different narratives.
Life After the Split
Divorce is a beast. Anyone who tells you it’s "amicable" from day one is probably lying. But for Ainsley Earhardt and Will Proctor, the dust actually seems to have settled into something functional. By 2019, the divorce was finalized.
Ainsley stayed in New York, keeping her seat on the curvy couch at Fox. Will stayed in the city too, which is probably the smartest thing they did for their daughter. As a Managing Director at Neuberger Berman—a massive investment firm—he's not exactly hurting for cash, but he’s also kept a remarkably low profile. You won't find him on reality TV or venting on Twitter. He’s the guy in the suit running sponsor coverage for private credit.
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The most interesting part? They actually talk.
Ainsley has mentioned in interviews that they still get along. They co-parent Hayden with a level of coordination that most divorced couples would kill for. They even made sure to keep each other in the loop when new people entered the picture.
The Sean Hannity Factor
You can't talk about Ainsley and Will without mentioning the "open secret" that eventually became headline news. For years, rumors swirled that Ainsley was dating her colleague, Sean Hannity. They denied it. They avoided cameras. They kept it behind closed doors.
But then, Christmas 2024 happened.
Hannity popped the question at a church in Florida. It was official. They were engaged. What really caught people off guard, though, wasn't the ring—it was the fact that they had told their exes, including Will Proctor, before the news went public.
That’s a level of "adulting" you don't see often in Manhattan. It shows that despite the 2018 drama, the focus really did shift to Hayden.
Where They Stand in 2026
So, what’s the current vibe?
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- Will Proctor is still crushing it in finance. He’s a Managing Director now, living in Charlotte, North Carolina (though he keeps ties to NY), and remains a fixture in his daughter's life.
- Ainsley Earhardt is still the queen of morning cable, navigating a long-distance engagement with Hannity, who moved to Florida while she stayed in New York for work and for Hayden’s school.
- The Daughter is the center of the universe. Hayden is growing up with two parents who, despite a very public and painful split, decided that being "good enough" at co-parenting was better than being right.
Moving Forward: Lessons from a Public Split
If you’re going through a separation or trying to figure out co-parenting, there are a few things to take away from how this played out.
- Keep the kids out of the crossfire. Regardless of what was said in 2018, both Ainsley and Will stopped the public bickering quickly. They prioritized Hayden's stability over winning the PR war.
- Proximity matters. Staying in the same city—at least for the formative years—made a massive difference in their ability to "seamlessly" share custody.
- Communication is a choice. You don't have to like your ex to respect the role they play. Telling an ex-spouse about a new engagement before the media finds out is a "class act" move that prevents unnecessary friction.
The reality is that Ainsley Earhardt and Will Proctor are no longer a couple, but they are still a family unit in a weird, modern way. They’ve proven that you can survive a messy headline and come out the other side with your career—and your kid’s happiness—intact.
If you're looking to improve your own co-parenting dynamic, start by setting a "no-venting" rule on social media. It worked for them. Focus on the logistics, keep the private life private, and remember that today's "tragedy" is usually tomorrow's old news.