Fox News Media abruptly parted ways with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo after more than 12 years at the network, a move that came amid reports that she had shared confidential internal editorial guidance with White House officials. Fox itself has publicly described the departure only as a business decision and has not disclosed a specific reason.
The network announced Thursday that Bartiromo was leaving effective immediately, bringing an unexpected end to the veteran financial journalist’s lengthy tenure at Fox News and Fox Business.
“We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter,” Fox said.
Fox separately described Bartiromo’s departure as a “business decision.” She had been absent from the air since Aug. 9, according to reports.
Reports about what precipitated her exit have focused on allegations that Bartiromo provided senior White House officials with confidential instructions concerning Fox Business’s editorial coverage. Mediaite reported that the alleged sharing of an internal communication was a factor surrounding her departure.
According to those reports, Fox Business executives instructed producers following President Donald Trump’s July 16 prime-time address not to give credence to certain claims he made concerning China and the 2020 presidential election.
Bartiromo reportedly photographed or captured a screenshot of that internal guidance and forwarded it to officials in the White House.
Fox executives reportedly learned that the confidential information had been shared outside the company after the White House contacted the network.
Variety reported, as cited in the original account, that providing confidential corporate information to an outside party could amount to a breach of an employee’s obligations. Bartiromo’s executive producer, Patrick Ignozzi, also left Fox amid the shakeup; Mediaite confirmed his departure.
Trump’s July speech centered substantially on election security and China.
During the address, Trump alleged that China had obtained information involving approximately 220 million American voters and accused Beijing of attempting to interfere against him during the 2020 presidential election.
Trump described the situation as an “unprecedented election security nightmare,” though some election experts challenged the assertion.
The reported internal instructions at Fox came as the network continues to deal with the repercussions of litigation stemming from its coverage of allegations surrounding the 2020 election.
In 2023, Fox agreed to a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems to resolve the voting technology company’s defamation lawsuit. Bartiromo was among the Fox personalities whose broadcasts were scrutinized during the case.
Fox’s relationship with Trump has shifted considerably over the past decade, including periods of sharp tension surrounding the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns and after Trump left office in 2021.
Following Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election, Rupert Murdoch, then chairman of Fox Corp., wrote in an email to a senior executive: “We want to make Trump a non-person.”
When questioned during a 2023 deposition about whether he continued to stand by that remark, Murdoch replied, “I’d still like to.” He also characterized Trump as “mad, maybe clinically.”
For some of Bartiromo’s pro-Trump audience, her abrupt exit has brought renewed attention to other high-profile personalities who have departed Fox over the years.
Fox suddenly parted ways with Tucker Carlson in April 2023, less than a week after reaching its settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
The network did not provide a detailed public explanation for Carlson’s departure at the time. Subsequent reports pointed to a combination of issues, including internal communications and litigation involving a previous producer.
Media journalist Yashar Ali said Thursday that he did not find Bartiromo’s departure particularly surprising.
Ali wrote: “Maria Bartiromo has learned a lesson that others at Fox News have learned over the years: the patience of the Murdochs is not unlimited, and while they may be conservative and align with Trump in many areas, their ultimate loyalty is only to themselves and their own interests. It’s a lesson Kimberly Guilfoyle, Lou Dobbs, Bill O’Reilly, Tucker Carlson, Roger Ailes, Bill Shine and others have learned the hard way.”
Fox canceled Lou Dobbs’ highly rated Fox Business program in February 2021, shortly after Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit naming Fox as well as Dobbs, Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.
Bill O’Reilly, who for years was one of cable television’s highest-rated personalities, departed Fox in 2017 following sexual harassment allegations and reports concerning settlements. O’Reilly denied the allegations.
While the circumstances surrounding those departures varied significantly, the exits of several major personalities have fueled a perception among some conservative viewers that even the network’s most prominent hosts can lose their positions following disputes or tensions with Fox leadership.
Bartiromo’s departure is particularly significant because of the length and prominence of her career at the network.
Before joining Fox in 2014, Bartiromo spent roughly two decades at CNBC, where she rose to national prominence as a business journalist and became known for reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
At Fox, she eventually became a prominent interviewer of Trump and senior members of his administration.
Trump publicly came to Bartiromo’s defense Thursday after news of her departure emerged, describing her as a “true warrior” and a “total professional.” In a longer Truth Social post, the president said he could not believe her programs would no longer be airing and predicted that her viewers would be unhappy with the development.
Fox, meanwhile, moved immediately to restructure and rename the programs previously associated with Bartiromo.
“Mornings With Maria” is being changed to “Mornings With Fox Business,” while “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” is being renamed “FBN’s Wall Street.”
Former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz is set to temporarily take over hosting duties on “Sunday Morning Futures,” with Fox saying that a permanent host will be announced at a later date.
{Matzav.com}
