CNN star Jake Tapper slammed for choice of guests for his Father's Day TV special: 'What the heck?'

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 18:58, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 18:58, 21 June 2026 Jake Tapper caught the ire of several perplexed viewers on Sunday with his choice of guests for the channel's special Father's Day programming.  Tapper recorded pre-taped interviews for CNN's State of the Union program,with Democrat US Senator Mark Kelly, as well as Republicans Tim Scott and Mitt Romney, who all shared their unique experiences with fatherhood. Tapper's panel guests for Father's Day were met with raised eyebrows.  'Jake you aren’t even a journalist at this point, you just glaze random 70 yr old ass senators,' one observer wrote about the show.   The choice to include Scott, who has no biological children of own, left viewers especially confused.  'Tim Scott? Jake how low you have fallen,' one person jeered.  'Tim Scott does not have any children. What the heck,' another reacted.  Scott, a longtime bachelor, became a stepfather after marrying Mindy Noce, an interior designer and mother of three just two years ago.  'Tim Scott has step kiddies that he obtained recently when he got married. However, that doesn't make him an expert on fatherhood, Jake. What are you doing here, bro?' another angry viewer wrote.  Jake Tapper caught the ire of several perplexed viewers on Sunday with his choice of guests for the channel's special Father's Day programming  Romney shared with Tapper that he takes a lot of inspiration from his father George  Scott, Kelly and Romney all shared their experiences as fathers and being a father with Tapper on Sunday.  Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts who was the GOP nominee for President in 2012 and later a US Senator for Utah, shared with Tapper that he takes inspiration from his own father George, who was also a governor and served as the US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Reflecting on time he spent with his dad, Romney noted that he would 'give it all,' for another chat with his father. Kelly, who shares two daughters, Claudia and Claire, with his first wife, Amelia Victoria Babis, whom he divorced in 2004 before marrying former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in 2007, shared a much less rosy picture of his own father, whom he described to Tapper as abusive. Kelly described his father as a 'complex' figure who would get into fights with his mother, and 'sometimes would get rather violent,' including one incident he recalled of his father dragging his mother across the floor.  Recalling an incident of his father drawing a gun and pointing it in his mouth, Kelly shared that at the time, his biggest fear was losing his dad, not being hurt himself. Kelly also revealed to Tapper that his mother would send him down the road to his grandparents' house, as it was a 'sanctuary ' for himself and his identical twin brother, Scott Kelly. Kelly was not the only one who blocked out part of the impact that his father had on his life. Tim Scott told Tapper that he viewed his own father through 'role-colored glasses.' Kelly revealed  to Tapper that his mother would send him down the road to his grandparents' house, as it was a 'sanctuary ' for himself and his identical twin brother, Scott Kelly Scott, a longtime bachelor, became a stepfather after marrying Mindy Noce, an interior designer and mother of three  Scott, a longtime bachelor, became a stepfather after marrying Mindy Noce, an interior designer and mother of three. The South Carolina senator shared on Sunday an insightful point of view that he received when he became a father to adult children.   'My pastor told me when I got married, he said, listen, you're marrying the mother, you're not marrying the kids. They're not asking you to be their father. You have to earn the right to have influence in their lives... That has served me really well,' Scott noted. During a Fox News interview in June of 2024, Noce described her bond with Scott as one that was 'heaven-sent.'   Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt then asked Noce how she knew Scott was 'the one.' 'God shows you the path,' Noce responded. Noce added that she ignores critics who say they got married because he was a presidential nominee and are 'upset he is a black man.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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