A dispute has emerged regarding the departure of veteran television host Maria Bartiromo from Fox News Media, with her attorney forcefully challenging reports that she was fired from the network. Fox News Media announced Bartiromo's exit on Thursday, stating she was "no longer with FOX News Media," and thanked her for her 12 1/2 years of service. However, her attorney, Bryan Freedman, issued a statement on Friday refuting these claims, asserting that reports describing Bartiromo as fired or no longer employed by Fox are "absolutely and unequivocally false."
"Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses." Bryan Freedman, Attorney for Maria Bartiromo
Freedman's statement further warned that evidence supporting his client's version of events could be made public or revealed through litigation. "Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses," Freedman stated, indicating that this information would eventually come out "through the courthouse or otherwise." He accused news outlets reporting Bartiromo's termination of displaying a "reckless disregard for the facts." This direct challenge creates a significant point of contention surrounding the circumstances of Bartiromo's abrupt separation from the media giant.
Following Fox's initial announcement, an Axios report, citing a Fox spokesperson, indicated that Bartiromo had been fired for "business reasons." This account is directly disputed by Freedman, intensifying the uncertainty around the situation. The network has already begun restructuring the programs Bartiromo hosted. "Mornings with Maria" was renamed "Mornings with FOX Business" with rotating anchors. "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street" became "FBN's Wall Street," with Cheryl Casone taking over, and former Representative Jason Chaffetz was selected to temporarily host "Sunday Morning Futures" as a permanent replacement is sought.
Questions concerning the catalyst for Bartiromo's departure have intensified amidst various reports. Separate reports from Trending Politics, Puck, and Status, as well as Forbes (citing the New York Times and Status), detailed allegations that Bartiromo shared internal Fox communications concerning the network's coverage of President Donald Trump's claims about the 2020 election with White House officials. These reports cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter. Fox News Media has not publicly confirmed these allegations as the reason for its decision regarding Bartiromo's employment.
Further context for the separation includes broader tensions reported between Bartiromo and Fox management in the weeks leading up to the announcement. Bartiromo had reportedly been absent from the network's airwaves for several weeks before Fox formally announced the split, with The Wall Street Journal reporting a nearly month-long absence from Fox News and Fox Business.
Bartiromo's tenure at Fox News Media also unfolded against the backdrop of major defamation litigation. Her broadcasts were cited in Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit against Fox, which the network settled in 2023 for $787.5 million. She is also among the Fox personalities named in Smartmatic's separate defamation lawsuit, which remains ongoing. Court documents related to the Smartmatic litigation, as reported by Forbes, indicated that Bartiromo earned approximately $70 million during her time with the network.
Before joining Fox Business in January 2014, Bartiromo spent nearly two decades at CNBC, where she gained prominence as one of the best-known figures in financial television and became the first television journalist to regularly report live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Her role significantly expanded at Fox, where she became a prominent interviewer of political and business figures in addition to her financial market coverage.
President Donald Trump publicly defended Bartiromo following Fox's announcement, describing her as a "total professional" and a "true warrior." He also commented that her viewers would be unhappy about her departure. The central circumstances surrounding Bartiromo's exit remain a subject of active contention, with her attorney's threat of producing evidence or pursuing litigation suggesting that further details may yet emerge to clarify the conflicting accounts.
