Elisabeth Hasselbeck Has Mystery Surgery, Taking Medical Leave From Fox News

Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be missing from Fox & Friends for the next few weeks after she underwent a secret surgery.

The co-host was missing from Wednesday’s show without any advance notice. Fellow co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade told viewers that Hasselbeck would be out for a stretch and replaced by The Five host Kimberly Gulfoyle in the meantime.

“In case you were wondering where Elisabeth is today, well, she had some surgery yesterday and she’s gonna be out for a couple weeks,” Doocy told viewers. “But she’s doing just fine. She’s on the mend.”

Kilmeade added that Elisabeth Hasselbeck was doing well, but didn’t give any hints as to the nature of her surgery.

“As you know if you watch the show, she is strong, she is tough, and a better athlete than me,” he said. “We heard from her last night and she said she is feeling good so in a short time she’ll be back on the set. Until then, we get a chance to work with wonderful people like Kimberly.”

Hasselbeck had also made headlines last week when Ebola expert with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, took her to task for advocating closing the borders to stop the outbreak. Fauci said it would make no sense to do that as it would also block aid that could help the outbreak.

“And if we completely isolate them — don’t let anything in, don’t let anything out — we know from experience with public health, that marginalizes them … and you could have civil unrest, governments could fall,” he answered. “And then you wind up having spread the virus to other countries in west Africa, which would only compound the problem.”

Elisabeth Hasselbeck has not released a statement about her surgery, but a Fox News spokesperson told TheWrap, “Elisabeth has asked for all to respect her wishes for privacy in regards to further details at this time.”