Maria Bartiromo is out at Fox News and Fox Business Network, effective immediately.
“We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter,” Fox News said in a statement Thursday.
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The announcement was sudden and unexpected, with Bartiromo’s last Mornings With Maria show on FBN airing Thursday. Fox did not give a specific reason for her exit, though a review of her programs show that she has not been on Fox’s channels since early August.
According to Status, Bartiromo was ousted after she shared internal communications from Fox executives with the White House. She had been planning to cover claims made by President Trump regarding the 2020 election.
The show will transition to Mornings With Fox Business starting Friday with rotating anchors Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street, which also airs weekly on FBN, will shift to FBN’s Wall Street starting this week, hosted by Cheryl Casone and by rotating anchors after this week. FBN will also launch a new weekday programming schedule that will be announced in the coming weeks
Additionally, Fox News Channel’s (FNC) Sunday Morning Futures (10-11 a.m. ET) will be hosted by Jason Chaffetz on Sunday, with a new host to be announced.
The sudden exit of Bartiromo is reminiscent of Fox News’ surprise ouster of primetime host Tucker Carlson, whose exit also emerged out of left field. While Fox News has a remarkably stable on-air lineup, when it does make changes they tend to be significant, especially given its ratings leadership in the TV news landscape.
Bartiromo, of course, first gained national attention on CNBC, where she anchored On the Money and Closing Bell. She left CNBC for Fox in 2013, becoming a core piece of the FBN lineup and a frequent presence on Fox News. She also co-hosted one of the channel’s presidential debates in 2016.
Bartiromo is close with President Trump, a frequent guest on her program; she interviewed him a few months ago.
Updated 4:15 p.m. with Status report of why Bartiromo was let go.
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