Cheryl Casone, a fill-in host on Fox Business, made a brief slip-up on Friday morning by using the former name of the show she was hosting, "Mornings with Maria." The gaffe occurred the day after Fox News Media announced its departure from longtime host Maria Bartiromo.
Casone, 56, was filling in for Bartiromo and stated, "Breaking data on deck next hour. You are watching Mornings with Maria- Fox Business." She quickly corrected herself, saying, "We will be right back."
Bartiromo's exit was confirmed Thursday morning by Fox News Media. The network stated, "We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter." Bartiromo had been absent from her Fox News show, "Sunday Morning Futures," since August 9. That program is now slated to be hosted by Jason Chaffetz.
Casone also hosted Bartiromo's absence on Thursday. Her other Fox Business show, "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street," will also have its name changed.
Reports emerged Friday suggesting Bartiromo's dismissal stemmed from her alleged leaking of an internal company message to the White House in July. This message reportedly advised staffers to avoid former President Trump's claims about the 2020 election. Bartiromo's attorney, Bryan Freedman, has called these reports "irresponsible" and "absolutely and unequivocally false," stating, "Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise."
Freedman further asserted that those reporting the firing or its alleged reasons have shown "a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth."
Bartiromo, who joined Fox from CNBC in 2014, was one of the last remaining defendants in a defamation lawsuit filed by Smartmatic, a voting technology company. This lawsuit followed claims made on Fox News regarding the 2020 election, which led to a previous significant settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Court documents from 2021 indicated Bartiromo had earned $70 million since joining Fox.