Fox News host Maria Bartiromo was reportedly fired from the network after allegedly leaking internal directives concerning coverage of Donald Trump's speech on election fraud to the White House. The alleged leak involved communications from Ralph Giordano, senior vice president of programming for Fox Business Network, who had instructed Bartiromo's producers via text message to avoid covering the speech.
According to reports, Bartiromo planned to cover the speech and had booked White House advisor Peter Navarro. However, Giordano, concerned about potential legal repercussions similar to the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuits, sent a directive to Bartiromo's executive producer, Patrick Ignozzi, to steer clear of the topic. Ignozzi then forwarded this message to Bartiromo, who in turn allegedly shared it with Navarro.
Navarro reportedly deemed the directive "censorship" and passed the information "up the chain" to top White House officials. He claimed that a high-level administration official subsequently contacted Fox News leadership to express displeasure. Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace were reportedly angered upon learning of Bartiromo's actions, which they learned of after the White House contacted the network.
Bartiromo made her final appearance on Fox Business on August 7 and on Fox News on August 9. Fox News Media announced Thursday that she was "no longer with Fox News Media," despite being under contract through 2028. Ignozzi was also dismissed.
The departure comes after Bartiromo's contentious role in the 2020 election coverage, which led to a $787.5 million settlement for Fox News in a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. During that period, Bartiromo was also reportedly investigating a story related to China and the 2020 election, including claims of Chinese interference made by Trump.
Following Bartiromo's exit, her show on Fox Business will be renamed "Mornings With Fox Business" and will feature a rotating cast of anchors. Her other program, "Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street," will have her name removed.
A spokesperson for Fox News stated that Bartiromo's departure was a "business decision." However, court documents from a separate defamation lawsuit revealed that Bartiromo had earned approximately $70 million since joining Fox News in 2014.
Former President Donald Trump expressed his dismay over Bartiromo's departure on his Truth Social platform, calling her a "total professional and a true warrior" and predicting her fans would be unhappy. Senator JD Vance downplayed rumors suggesting Bartiromo might replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary.