WATCH HERE: Fox News Host Caught On Hot Mic Joking About Lax Security At White House Correspondents’ Dinner

It appears to have been an open joke among members of the media about how lax security was at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Fox News’ host Jimmy Failla was caught on a hot mic joking about how lax security was at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.

Failla’s remarks came just moments before 31-year-old Cole Allen opened fire at the event.

In a video, the Fox News host could be heard saying that no Secret Service agents were at the front door to the Washington Hilton Hotel; rather, two women who worked at the hotel were holding it open.

Mediaite reported more on the hot mic incident:

Fox News host Jimmy Failla was caught on a hot mic roasting lax security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday — before a gunman bolted past a security checkpoint and exchanged gunfire with authorities.

Failla, a comedian who hosts the late-night show Fox News Saturday Night, handled live shots for the network and conducted red carpet interviews with attendees making their way to the ballroom. That feed, apparently unknown to Failla, also went out to Fox affiliates across the country.

Video circulating on X picked up Failla’s candid comments about security, which is now under scrutiny for not being tight enough.

Failla can be heard making the prescient comments, “Looks like they have like two random chicks holding the front door open. Like, guys, they’re not even trying anymore…I just mean, like, they’re not even Secret Service people. It’s like the girls who work here are holding the door. Even if it were the guy, that wouldn’t even make it better…Like, they might as well put a door stop in. They put up a door stop and a scarecrow, you know, f*ck with this guy.”

Watch here:

Yikes! Fox 5 caught on hot mic talking about the security at the Correspondents Dinner.

"They have like two random chicks holding the front door open. Like guys, they're not even trying anymore…they're not even secret service people. It's like the girls who work here are… pic.twitter.com/5IZCTYQfzs

— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) April 27, 2026

Congressional correspondent for Fox News, Bill Melugin, also gave his take on the security at the event:

My thoughts on the security at the WHCD last night.

The first exterior security for me was on the street outside of the hotel. I flashed my ticket and was waved through in one second. My name was not checked against any list, I showed no ID, I was not patted down and did not go…

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 26, 2026

Full text:

My thoughts on the security at the WHCD last night.

The first exterior security for me was on the street outside of the hotel. I flashed my ticket and was waved through in one second. My name was not checked against any list, I showed no ID, I was not patted down and did not go through a metal detector. I probably could have shown a ticket from a prior year or a fake one as they barely looked at it. (I don’t know who that exterior security was, they were guys in suits).

From that point, I walked into the hotel with no further security check, and I walked down to the Fox pre-party where there were multiple ballrooms that were absolutely PACKED with attendees. Still did not go through any security at that point.

Hypothetically, If I had hidden an explosive in my shoe or my jacket, I would have had no problem getting into one of those ballrooms.

Only once it was time to get into the main ballroom for the dinner did we pass through magnetometers, empty our pockets, and get a pat down. And even that checkpoint was just outside of the dinner room.

Two things can be true at the same time.

Secret Service reacted quickly to an active armed threat and prevented that threat from getting into the ballroom. But the security leading up to that point, in my opinion, appeared to be lacking severely.