Fox News abruptly ousts Maria Bartiromo, a longtime Trump ally

Fox News has parted ways with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo, one of President Donald Trump's closest allies at the network.

Her ouster came as a shock to many, including the president, who wrote on Truth Social, "I can't believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business."

The Fox News leadership team decided to remove Bartiromo in August, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The immediate impetus was Bartiromo's disclosure of confidential information to the Trump White House, the source told CNN.

But there may have been other factors. In a sign that the split was contentious, Fox said Bartiromo's departure was "effective today," meaning she didn't have a chance to say goodbye or sign off on her own terms.

Bartiromo's disclosure dates back to mid-July, when Trump delivered a prime time speech about the election system and made conspiratorial claims about China and the 2020 election.

According to Status and Puck , two media industry publications, Bartiromo wanted to talk about Trump's claims on air.

But a Fox executive directed the network not to cover the conspiracy theories, the source confirmed to CNN.

Bartiromo apparently sent a text message of the network guidance to White House officials, as if to say it wasn't her fault that the claims weren't getting airtime on Fox.

Word of Bartiromo's disclosure got back to Fox management, and it was deemed a violation of her employment agreement.

Bartiromo has not responded to CNN request for comment on her exit from Fox and has not posted on social media about it.

Fox evidently took action against her nearly a month ago: Her last day on air was on August 9, when she anchored "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News.

Until then, she also helmed "Mornings with Maria" on Fox Business on weekdays and "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street" on Friday nights.

The executive producer of "Mornings with Maria," Patrick Ignozzi, was also ousted at the same time as Bartiromo, the source familiar with the matter told CNN.

It is unclear why Bartiromo's departure was not announced until Thursday. Social media lit up with speculation that Bartiromo might be in line to become White House press secretary, though no reporting has backed up that theory.

Trump's Truth Social post showed how her exit might have ripple effects across right-wing media: "Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria!"

Officially, Fox put a positive spin on her departure, saying in a statement, "We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter."

But Bartiromo still had ample time remaining on her contract. Her dismissal was the biggest personnel shakeup at Fox since Tucker Carlson was forced out in April 2023 .

And as with Carlson, many factors likely contributed to the breakup, which a Fox spokesperson called a "business decision."

Bartiromo joined Fox in 2014, primarily to elevate Fox Business, the spinoff business news channel that was far behind CNBC in the ratings at the time.

Bartiromo did make Fox Business more competitive. But for the past 10 years she has been defined by her proximity to, and promotion of, Trump and the MAGA movement.

Bartiromo's former colleagues and friends talked about her MAGA transformation with bafflement and disappointment.

At the right-wing Fox News, Bartiromo's coziness with Trump often worked to her advantage, with exclusive interviews and access to the president's inner circle. Bartiromo was even appointed to the board of the Kennedy Center last year. The president has repeatedly used his social media platform to praise Bartiromo, and vice versa.

But her backchannel relationship with the president also caused headaches for Fox management.

Bartiromo was the first Fox anchor to promote the false claims about the 2020 presidential election that led voting machine company Dominion to sue Fox for defamation.

Dominion's lawyers obtained internal emails and text messages showing that Fox executives were troubled by Bartiromo's reckless coverage and commentary. One of the texts said Bartiromo's show featured "tons of crazy" in the immediate aftermath of Trump's 2020 defeat.

Fox and Dominion settled in April 2023 for $787.5 million. Fox is still fighting a lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting machine company, and Bartiromo is also named extensively in that suit.

Separately, in June, Bartiromo was one of several Fox News and Fox Business hosts to read an on-air apology after businessman and frequent Fox guest Kevin O'Leary made claims about Utah data centers during appearances on the network. The network and O'Leary are now facing a defamation lawsuit over O'Leary's comments.

In lieu of "Mornings with Maria," which aired from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern, the network will transition to "Mornings with FOX Business," beginning Friday. That program will be hosted by rotating anchors.

Similarly, "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street" will become "FBN's Wall Street," hosted by Cheryl Casone this week, then rotating anchors.

And over on Fox News, "Sunday Morning Futures," which airs from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET, will be hosted by Jason Chaffetz, a former Republican congressman-turned-Fox analyst, this week. A replacement host will be announced in the future, the network said.

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