(LifeSiteNews) — A New York Times article authored by a “family journalist” and former Washington Post correspondent who covered abortion opens with the line: “Sean Duffy would like you to watch his family making pancakes.”
Caroline Kitchener expresses disapproval of the traditional gender roles embraced by Sean and Rachel Campos-Duffy as they prepare breakfast for their family of 11.
“In this all-American household, the roles were clear: Mom whisks and Dad mans the griddle,” Kitchener writes.
The article continues by denigrating the Duffy family from top to bottom.
From mocking their use of a family minivan to casting Sean Duffy’s commitment to his wife in a negative light, Kitchener appeared to leave no aspect of their personal life untouched.
“A red-blooded American male who once scored with reality TV stars, he is now a devoted dad with his own chicken coop and beehives, publicly pledging his commitment to his wife and their old Chrysler minivan,” Kitchener wrote.
The article opens by outlining Rachel and Sean’s backgrounds as reality TV personalities before shifting focus to their views on gender roles within the family.
Kitchener opens by casting doubt on Mrs. Duffy’s role as the mother of nine, subtly suggesting that her turn toward full-time motherhood came only after a temporary lull in her professional career. She notes that after “she didn’t get the job” on The View, Campos-Duffy went on to have eight more children.
The author repeatedly critiques the family’s traditional values. Kitchener criticizes the family podcast where they discuss traditional family role topics such as the husband being the breadwinner, men desiring feminine women, and the dangers of birth control.
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“The Duffys returned, again and again, to what they saw as an anti-family conspiracy sweeping the nation,” the author adds.
Kitchener portrayed Duffy’s public comments on family life critically, such as his remark on his podcast that “liberal women are the most unhappy people ever.” Multiple studies, such as the one conducted by The Institute for Family Studies, have shown that liberal women report higher levels of depressive symptoms than conservative women, lending support to Duffy’s claim.
In closing, Kitchener expresses disdain for “The Great American Road Trip,” a journey the Duffys plan to take with their family to showcase some of the nation’s most iconic landmarks.
“The Duffys will drive an American car. They will thank Mr. Trump for lower gas prices. They might gaze out over the battlefield at Gettysburg or the speedway that hosts the Indianapolis 500. And you can be sure that someone will be filming,” Kitchener concludes.
Immediate reactions to the story are highly critical.
Sean Duffy’s daughter, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, wrote in an X post how visceral Kitchener’s reaction was to the size of their family.
The NYT just published a hit piece on my family, accusing my dad of using us as political props for his career. The writer, Caroline Kitchener, is an abortion reporter who now claims to be a “family” journalist. But it’s clear she hates family, given how much the size of ours… pic.twitter.com/AkiicQXodp
— Evita Duffy-Alfonso (@evitaduffy_1) June 23, 2025
“The writer, Caroline Kitchener, is an abortion reporter who now claims to be a ‘family’ journalist. But it’s clear she hates family, given how much the size of ours disturbs her,” Evita wrote.
Evita also exposed the line of questioning that Kitchener proposed to the family, as she enquired if Rachel had ever considered aborting their first child. Sean Duffy backed this claim in his own post on X, referencing the reporter’s line of questioning.
“NYT reporter @CAKitchener is genuinely disturbed that I’m happily married, have nine kids, and—brace yourself—didn’t abort any of them,” Duffy writes.
With all the serious issues facing our country, the New York Times decided to dispatch a former abortion correspondent (cosplaying now as a “family” expert) for a hit piece on me and the Trump administration.
NYT reporter @CAKitchener is genuinely disturbed that I’m happily… pic.twitter.com/wrNTMFoK42
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) June 23, 2025
Duffy continues, “Among the hard-hitting questions she harassed my team with: did I consider aborting one of my daughters, what color plaid my siblings and I wore as children, whether I drive a minivan, and bizarre fact-checks on an old reality show. Pulitzer stuff, truly.”
John Podhoretz, editor at Commentary magazine and former Reagan speech writer, deplored the article on X saying, “I’ve read some vile caricatures of conservative pols in my life, but never one quite as slimy and repellent as this bizarre hit job on Sean Duffy.”
Kitchener’s article goes beyond reporting, offering a thinly veiled critique of Sean Duffy’s large Catholic family and their traditional values. By framing their faith and lifestyle as outdated or suspect, the piece reflects a broader cultural bias against those who embrace and promote orthodox Catholic beliefs.
