Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s wife Gisele is no longer active on multiple social media platforms as her husband faces backlash from progressives over his positions on Israel and the southern border.
Gisele Fetterman’s accounts on Twitter and Instagram appear to have been deleted, and she has not posted publicly on her Facebook account since December. She announced her social media break in November with a post on her now-deleted Twitter account and attributed her break to feeling insulted by her treatment as Sen. Fetterman’s spouse. (RELATED: John Fetterman’s Wife Lays Out The Future Liberals Want — And It’s The Worst Thing You’ve Ever Seen)
“Gisele posted several months ago that she would be taking a break from social media. She was getting bored with it, it wasn’t adding anything to her life, and she prefers to run into fires instead,” a spokesperson for Gisele Fetterman told the Daily Caller.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 06: Gisele Barreto Fetterman speaks at Indian American Impact GOTV Weekend Canvass Launch on November 06, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for Indian American Impact)
In December 2022, Gisele became a volunteer firefighter in Braddock, Pennsylvania, where her husband was mayor from 2006-19.
A friend of Gisele Fetterman posted on Instagram in December and said Gisele is taking a break from social media due to bullying related to her husband.
“Gisele Fetterman (can’t tag her because some of y’all bullied her so much she had to take a social media break — she is not her husband so please be gentle with your critiques.)” her friend Ashlyn Brierre Preaux posted on Dec. 20, 2023. Brierre Preaux is a progressive activist with over 45,000 Instagram followers.
After the initial publication of this article, Gisele Fetterman returned to social media with a statement addressing her whereabouts.
You guys really are terrible, respectfully 😘
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) January 30, 2024
“I posted several months ago that i would be talking a break from social media. I was bored with it … i am a Pisces … it wasn’t adding anything to my life .. but leaving social media is somehow more exhausting than having it?!” she said on Twitter. “You guys really are terrible, respectfully,” she added.
Gisele’s lack of activity contrasts the significant role she played in Sen. Fetterman’s successful 2022 Senate campaign and the extensive press coverage she received when Fetterman first entered office. Sen. Fetterman defeated Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz 51.2% to 46.3% in the toss-up state.
Her husband was hospitalized for six weeks in early 2023 for clinical depression after he suffered a stroke during the campaign and visibly struggled with auditory processing for months afterward. Gisele Fetterman reportedly visited her husband once a week while he was in the hospital.
Fetterman’s staunch support for Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist assault and his advocacy for restricting illegal immigration has generated significant backlash from progressives who backed his Senate campaign.
WATCH: Pro-Palestinian protesters shouted down Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania on Thursday after he maintained that Hamas should be condemned for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel.@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/YTlH7XLvH7
— Jennie Taer 🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@JennieSTaer) December 14, 2023
“I’m not a progressive,” Fetterman told NBC News in December. “I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well.”
He made similar comments to the New York Post in January.
He criticized progressive lawmakers in October after multiple “squad” Democrats falsely blamed Israel for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza. Preliminary intelligence assessments determined Israel was not responsible for firing the rocket that hit the hospital.
It’s truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel for the hospital tragedy in Gaza.
Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) October 18, 2023
Left-wing anti-Israel protestors have hounded Fetterman on numerous occasions, but Fetterman has responded multiple times by holding up Israel’s flag and mocking demonstrators.
Prior to Oct. 7, Fetterman and his wife were subject to strong criticism from conservatives because of his progressive positions, lack of transparency surrounding his medical issues and failed attempt to relax the senate dress code.
John and Gisele Fetterman previously criticized social media backlash from conservatives in the wake of Fetterman’s hospital stint for depression.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to add new information.