On the January 7 inaugural broadcast of Fox News' Hannity's America, host Sean Hannity named actor Sean Penn, who Hannity described as an “actor, activist, and all-around very angry man,” as his first “Enemy of the State” for, among other offenses, calling Hannity a “whore,” and for “call[ing] for the impeachment of just about everybody in the Bush administration and call[ing] them 'bastards.' ” Despite designating Penn an “Enemy of the State,” Hannity then said, “Now, Penn can say whatever he wants.” Hannity then invited Penn to appear on Hannity's America “to sit in the hot seat and defend his outlandish comments.” Hannity also wondered: “Who does this guy speak for? Who does he represent, other than other bad actors?”

Penn won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2003 for his performance in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River and has been nominated for three other Oscars for Best Actor, as well as numerous other awards.

In response to the “Enemy of the State” segment on Hannity's America, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, host of Countdown, awarded Hannity the “bronze,” or second runner-up, in his “Worst Person in the World” segment. Olbermann said that he would “skip the rip-off aspect of this,” adding: “If you want everybody to think of my show and my book when you launch into this segment, be my guest.” Olbermann characterized Hannity's “enemy of the state” word choice as a phrase “that Roman dictators used to apply before the Centurions would go and stab their enemies in the throat.”

Hannity's segment was noted by Newshounds, which said of Hannity, "[I]f you exercise the freedoms he purports to hold dear, you'll be labeled an enemy."

From the January 7 edition of Fox News' Hannity's America:

HANNITY: And finally, tonight, the “Enemy of the State.” This week, actor, activist, and all-around very angry man Sean Penn takes the honors. Now, besides calling little old me a “whore” at a recent speech, Penn has called for the impeachment of just about everybody in the Bush administration and called them “bastards.” Now, Penn can say whatever he wants. And we invite him on this program to sit in the hot seat and defend his outlandish comments. But the real question is: Who does this guy speak for? Who does he represent, other than other bad actors? So, Sean Penn, you are this week's “Enemy of the State.”

From the January 8 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: The bronze tonight to Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel, establishing a new weekly segment called “Enemy of the State,” selecting Sean Penn as the first recipient. OK, we'll just skip the rip-off aspect of this, Sean. If you want everybody to think of my show and my book when you launch into this segment, be my guest, but to use that phrase, the one that Roman dictators used to apply before the Centurions would go and stab their enemies in the throat?