Short questions with Dana Perino

June 22, 2023 at 11:59 AM EDT

In a new entry in her "Short Questions" series for Fox News Digital, Dana Perino asks Jimmy Failla about his secret party trick, his choice for last meal — and his biggest role models.

You've seen us on screen, but have you ever wondered what we're like off-camera?

For the last few months, I’ve enjoyed checking in with some of your favorite Fox personalities to learn more about who they are behind the scenes.

What's the one thing Jesse Watters couldn’t live without? What's Bill Hemmer’s favorite Halloween costume? And what's sitting on Greg Gutfeld’s nightstand?

But that's not all! The fun is just getting started.

This week we're excited to shine the spotlight on Jimmy Failla, the host of "Fox Across America," which airs weekdays from 12 p.m.-3 p.m. on Fox News Radio.

P.S. We have so much more in store for you. Stay tuned each week for new editions of "Short Questions with Dana Perino" — and if there’s a question you want answers to or a suggestion for the person I should interview next, leave a note in the comments section below!

JF: I'm a really good trumpet player. I was in the All County Band in elementary school and middle school, but I quit before high school so I could pursue my true passion of beer.

But if you handed me a trumpet, I can play it to this day, with or without the beer.

JF: I was Superman in third grade and absolutely loved it.

That being said, I was a chubby little kid, so the spandex costume wasn't the best look. Instead of "Up, up, and away," I'm pretty sure people were saying, "Up, up, and how much do you weigh?"

JF: My secret party trick is leaving undetected. I am a HUGE proponent of the so-called "Irish goodbye" — and I love to bail at the absolute high point of the revelry.

When 80 people are singing "Love Shack," I'm usually "hopping in a Chrysler that's as big as a whale" and heading on down to my place.

It becomes its own joke the next day and nobody is ever mad about it because you went out on a high note.

JF: My biggest role models are my older siblings. I have two brothers who are cops and a sister in banking.

Growing up, they all got good grades, had killer work ethics and went super hard at everything they did, especially making fun of me.

We talked a stunning amount of smack at our kitchen table, but looking back now, I realize that I'm basically what would happen if you took their work ethic and combined it with a lot more talent. You heard me, Joe, Sue and Mike.

JF: My favorite thing about working in TV and radio is the reach it gives me to inject laughter into the lives of so many people.

I'm basically a hippy with a Brooklyn accent, and I’m always running on good vibes because the truth is, no matter what your profession, we are all in the fun business.

If you die tomorrow, you're not gonna wish you got into another fight on Twitter or you worked another double shift at your job — you're gonna wish you had more fun.

The fact that Fox has enabled me to preach this silly gospel to such a broad audience is really cool to a small town gal like me.

JF: This changes constantly because when I get into a song, I play it until I hate it. I'm talking 200-300 times a week, and then I don't listen to it again for three years.

Right now I'm abusing "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)" by James Brown.

He may be the hardest working man in showbiz, but I am wearing this dude out. Before that one, I'm pretty sure Lynyrd Skynyrd filed an order of protection against my iPhone for playing "Mr. Breeze" at least 5,000 times in the month of February.

JF: When I'm not working, I host some next-level cigar smoking sessions in my backyard. I invite buddies over, turn on music and talk to them forever about the creative process, our respective professions, whatever's going on in the world. It's my absolute favorite thing.

That — and cruising in my Bronco with my son Lincoln and my wife Jenny.

Our family lives to drive around aimlessly and blast music. Once in a while we stop for food or gas, but it's mostly just three people getting bad tan lines from their seatbelts.

JF: Back when I was a cab driver, I had a dream that Cinderella was in the back of my taxi with six minutes to get home, and I'd love to see if I could pull it off in real life.

I know this sounds weird, but in my defense, Cinderella wouldn't make the list of the top 25 oddest things I've seen in a taxi.

JF: I once got detention in 9th grade for talking too much in class and wound up getting "in-school suspension" for talking too much during that detention. I could go on for days about this ...

JF: The key to a good last meal is wanting to die after you eat it.

For that reason I would go with the most gluttonous thing we serve in my house, which is called a "steak and spaghetti." My son Lincoln and I love to fry porterhouse steaks in butter — and top them off with spaghetti and tater tot medallions.

It works a lot better than it sounds, and it always leaves you in a bloated state of self-disgust that would make you happy to see a firing squad.

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To read all of Dana Perino's earlier "Short Questions" interviews for Fox News Digital, check out this (long) list!

For her interview with Tyrus, click here.

For her interview with Ainsley Earhardt, click here.

For her interview with Lawrence Jones, click here.

For her interview with Dr. Arash Akhavan, click here.

For her interview with Martha MacCallum, click here.

For her interview with Bret Baier, click here.

For her interview with Kayleigh McEnany, click here.

For her interview with Harold Ford Jr., click here.

For her interview with Jessica Tarlov, click here.