A longtime Fox News anchor has revealed new details about a serious health problem he experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing a condition that disappeared before unexpectedly returning.
The veteran journalist said his body reacted differently as he received additional doses, and he now believes there was a direct connection between the timing of those shots and what happened to his heart.
Fox News “America Reports” co-anchor John Roberts said during a recent on-air interview that he developed pericarditis after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine booster and that the condition returned after he received another booster.
“I remember when I got the boosters, I developed pericarditis, and then that went away,” Roberts said.
“Then, when I had the second booster, it came roaring back again,” he continued.
“So, you know, the body reacts differently to these things depending on who you are,” Roberts added.
Roberts said he received four COVID-19 vaccine doses in total, with his first bout of pericarditis occurring following his third dose, commonly described as the first booster.
Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the thin sac surrounding the heart, and can produce symptoms including sharp chest pain that may sometimes resemble symptoms associated with other heart problems.
Roberts indicated that his first episode eventually subsided, but said the condition “came roaring back again” following his next booster.
The Fox News anchor’s comments are particularly notable because Roberts has publicly discussed a complicated history of heart problems separate from his recent account involving pericarditis.
In early 2022, Roberts underwent a cardiac procedure that resulted in doctors implanting a pacemaker after he experienced additional heart problems, including complications involving a previously implanted stent.
Roberts joked afterward that he was now “battery powered” and acknowledged that he had not been feeling well before undergoing the procedure.
The longtime correspondent has also publicly discussed his battle with atrial fibrillation, commonly known as AFib, which causes an irregular and sometimes rapid heartbeat.
Roberts wrote in a 2024 social media post that he was seeking treatment at the Cleveland Clinic for “the intractable AFib that has plagued me since that whole ‘COVID thing.’”
He subsequently underwent an ablation procedure and later reported encouraging news about his recovery.
“One year ago today, I underwent ablation for the intractable AFib that has plagued me since that whole ‘COVID thing,’” Roberts wrote in a later update.
“Happy to report not a single episode since,” he added.
Roberts’ latest remarks represent a notable evolution in his public discussion of COVID vaccination because he was outspoken about being vaccinated earlier in the pandemic.
After controversy surrounding a social media post in 2021 questioning the long-term effectiveness of COVID vaccines following the death of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Roberts pushed back against suggestions that he was opposed to vaccination.
Roberts said at the time that he had been vaccinated, had participated in a public service announcement encouraging others to get vaccinated and intended to receive a booster himself.
He has also previously discussed suffering from symptoms associated with long COVID and cited those health concerns when explaining his decision to receive another vaccine dose.
Roberts’ comments do not establish that every cardiac problem he has experienced was caused by vaccination, particularly given his preexisting cardiovascular history, but he specifically attributed the onset and recurrence of his pericarditis to the boosters he received.
For Roberts, the most striking part of the experience was how dramatically his own reaction changed following additional doses.
“The body reacts differently to these things,” Roberts said, “depending on who you are.”
