Shep Smith On Rachel Maddow: 'I Admire And Respect [Her]'

It looks like Rachel Maddow has not one, but two friends over at Fox News.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Fox News favorite Shep Smith revealed that he is a fan of the MSNBC host. When the LA Times' Irene Lacher asked if Smith was surprised when Maddow publicly stated that she admired him during a Reddit "AMA," the Fox News returned the compliment.

I know Rachel. I’m a fan of Rachel’s. But what she said very generously is I do regular guy and voice of God at the same time. By voice of God, she means you can be a news anchor and be taken seriously and then when it’s fun, you can have a little fun. We all know each other in this business. It’s a very small community, and we all pretty much like each other. And I admire and respect Rachel. Everything in this thing we do to me is Ole Miss and LSU. I love Ole Miss; I hate LSU. And that’s how MSNBC and Fox News viewers are, and I understand it and I respect it because I hate LSU.

Smith's compliment comes on the heels of Fox News chief Roger Ailes detailing his friendship with the MSNBC anchor in greater detail. In the new biography on Ailes titled Off Camera, writer Zev Chafets describes how the Fox News chief and Maddow became friendly at the 2006 White House Christmas party when he complimented her hosting chops.