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Fox News anchor and Donald Trump ally Maria Bartiromo has left the Murdoch-controlled broadcaster in one of the biggest shake-ups at the network since the exit of Tucker Carlson three years ago.
Until last month, Bartiromo presented shows including Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News and Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street on Fox Business. She has been with Fox since 2014 after a long career at CNBC but has not been on air since early August.
Bartiromo has long been seen as close to the Trump administration. The president posted on his Truth Social network overnight in support of the former Fox anchor.
“I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business,” he wrote. “Three different shows, always number one. Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria!”
Fox News said in a statement that did not disclose the reasons behind her exit: “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”
Bartiromo’s exit was reported by US media outlet Status to have been linked to her sharing with the White House a Fox editorial decision not to cover some of Trump’s conspiratorial claims about China and the 2020 election that he made in a July speech.
However, Bartiromo has caused other legal issues for Fox News, which has enjoyed remarkable success in recent years as the conservative broadcaster of choice for many in Trump’s inner circle.
Bartiromo was cited in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6bn defamation suit for airing Trump’s false claims about 2020 election fraud. Fox and Dominion settled in April 2023 for $787.5mn. Bartiromo is also named in an ongoing lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting machine company.
This summer, Fox News was forced to apologise after Canadian entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary said on a show presented by Bartiromo that opponents of a Utah data centre were proxies for the Chinese government.
Fox News has benefited from the proximity of broadcasters such as Bartiromo to Trump’s administration, securing interviews and exclusive news, which in turn has helped propel viewing figures.
There has been a steady stream of former Fox broadcasters and contributors entering the Trump administration, including Pete Hegseth, Jeanine Pirro, Sean Duffy, Tammy Bruce and Dan Bongino.
There has been social media speculation that Bartiromo could be considered for a role with Trump, such as White House press secretary. Karoline Leavitt departed in late August and a replacement is yet to be appointed.
Bartiromo was appointed to the board of the Kennedy Center last year.
Vice-president JD Vance was asked on Thursday whether he thought Bartiromo would become press secretary. “I don’t know, man,” he said. “No, I don’t think so . . . I love Maria. I think she’s an amazing person, an amazing talent. I don’t get involved in the personal drama of media stations.”
