Last week, the Trump administration and the University of Pennsylvania reached an agreement to release $175 million in previously frozen federal funds intended for the institution. The administration froze the funds in March after launching a Title IX investigation into the university in February over its decision to allow Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete and former NCAA swimmer, to compete in the women's division during her college career — which ended in 2022. 

Since late 2021, Fox News has dedicated an extraordinary volume of coverage to Thomas, repeatedly disparaging and deadnaming her. This coverage helped turn Thomas into the face of trans inclusion in women's sports and — under the Trump administration — a target for federal action. 

Last week's settlement stipulates that Thomas' records be erased and additionally requires the university to issue apologies “to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect” at the time that Thomas competed. The university has also agreed to adhere “to definitions of sex – with respect to women’s athletics – that have been set out through two specific Executive Orders” going forward. 

Fox News covered and often disparaged Thomas during her college career

In early December 2021, Thomas set a number of conference records while competing at the Zippy Invitational at the University of Akron, prompting a wave of backlash from conservative media figures. In just six weeks — from December 3, 2021, through January 12, 2022 — Fox News aired 32 segments on Thomas’ swim career. This coverage repeatedly deadnamed and misgendered Thomas while leveraging the story to target trans rights more broadly, including access to gender-affirming care. 

On March 18, 2022, Thomas competed in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, where she won the 500-yard freestyle and tied for fifth place against current OutKick podcaster Riley Gaines in the 200-yard freestyle. The championships prompted additional coverage from Fox hosts and guests. 

In one such segment, The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh claimed that Thomas' athletic career was “part of an overall war on truth.” In other segments, Thomas was mentioned merely in passing, demonstrating the extent to which she had come to represent trans inclusion for right-wing media figures. 

Fox News continued to cover Thomas long after her college career ended 

In the year following Thomas' performance at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, Fox News continued to air segments that mentioned her. Gaines, her former competitor, leveraged their tie into a media career, appearing on the network 29 times for a total time of more than two hours and 38 minutes between April 2022 and the end of May 2023. She named Thomas in 34% of these interviews. 

Fox News has continued to feature Gaines as an expert on trans inclusion in women's sports, at times leading to additional mentions of Thomas in their coverage. In one such instance in February 2024, Gaines mentioned Thomas while discussing legislation that would have barred trans athletes from competing in women's sports. 

In the last year, Fox News has made coverage of trans athletes a staple of its programming, airing 94 weekday segments mentioning trans athletes from July 1, 2024, through October 25, 2024, alone. A more recent analysis shows that Fox aired more than 400 weekday segments mentioning trans athletes from February 5, 2025, through June 6, 2025. 

Fox coverage of the issue has repeatedly highlighted specific trans athletes, singling out competitors — including minors and students — for backlash at the national level. In a recent case, Fox dedicated coverage to a trans high school athlete competing in California. Less than an hour and a half after a segment about the athlete, Trump seemingly posted about her and urged federal action against the state. 

Fox News guests and hosts celebrated the settlement and urged further action 

In an interview last Tuesday with OutKick founder Clay Travis, Fox News host Sean Hannity raised the topic of the Penn agreement. Hannity praised Gaines, saying, “Got to tip our hat to Riley Gaines. I mean, she's been out there fighting and championing, you know, Title IX and women's sports, and now very successfully. Good for her.” 

Travis responded, also crediting Fox and OutKick with the success: “Let me also add this — Fox giving the resources to Outkick to break this story and cover it when no other sports media outlet would. I’m super proud of everybody that works with us.” 

Gaines appeared on the network to discuss the agreement the following day, urging further pressure on universities and sports bodies that allow trans athletes to compete in women's sports. 

Gaines told host Harris Faulkner: “Hopefully this sets a precedent for more institutions at every single level — again not just colleges. Hopefully now we see governors follow suit. Of course, Gov. Newsom, Gov. Mills of Maine, they have been terrible on this issue. Hopefully even the Olympics. Like, hopefully this transcends beyond just college institutions. The NCAA, of course, they continue to remain totally weak-kneed and spineless and morally bankrupt on this issue — again, an institution governed by cowards.” 

The agreement between the University of Pennsylvania and the Trump administration comes amid increased federal pressure on universities, news outlets, and state governments across the country. 

In this case, Penn faced both a funding freeze and an investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which concluded — in line with President Donald Trump's executive order barring trans athletes from women's sports — that the university had violated Title IX by allowing Thomas to compete. 

Like Gaines, however, Fox host Emily Compagno and contributor Joey Jones argued that the federal actions were insufficient. Jones said he hoped that every athlete “sues the hell out of every school and every authority” for allowing Thomas to use the women's locker room at the time of competition. 

Compagno expressed her agreement, arguing that schools should be considered criminally liable: “That is squarely covered by the criminal code, and I think that's what's next too.”