On June 14, McConnell, 84, was taken to the hospital after suffering a fall in his Washington, D.C., home. Several weeks passed with little information released on his condition or when he would be released from the hospital and able to go back to work.
As calls for information intensified, gossip swirled that McConnell was in a coma, or even that he had already died.
But the conservative commentator appeared to try to dispel the rumors. On July 7, Jennings claimed he’d talked with McConnell on the phone for roughly 20 minutes about current events.
A few days later, McConnell released a statement about his health and a photo of him in bed. His office confirmed that he had not suffered a heart attack, stroke, or broken any bones, nor were any tumors found. They did say he had a mild case of pneumonia.
On July 27, his team released another photo and a statement that he was still on the road to recovery.
He was reportedly released from a rehabilitation clinic in early August.