Maria Bartiromo is pushing back hard against reports that Fox News fired her, turning an already-surprising split with the network into a public dispute over what actually happened. The longtime Fox News and Fox Business host, who became one of President Donald Trump’s favorite television interviewers, is contesting reports that she was terminated after more than 12 years with the company. Her attorney says the reporting is false and claims he has evidence and witnesses to back that up. Fox, meanwhile, has publicly said Bartiromo is no longer with Fox News Media.
The dispute erupted one day after Fox News Media announced on September 3rd that it had “parted ways” with Bartiromo, effective immediately. The network offered no detailed explanation for the sudden departure, describing it elsewhere as a business decision. Bartiromo had been a major presence across both Fox News and Fox Business, hosting “Mornings with Maria,” “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” and the Sunday program “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Bartiromo’s response came through high-profile attorney Bryan Freedman, who sharply rejected the characterization that his client had been fired. He called reports that Bartiromo was fired or was no longer employed by Fox “absolutely and unequivocally false.” Freedman then raised the stakes, saying, “Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses,” and indicated that the evidence could emerge in court or through other means.
As CNBC reported, the clash followed Fox’s announcement that Bartiromo had left the network and subsequent reports alleging that she had been terminated for violating company policy. Fox’s public announcement itself did not identify any policy violation or other cause for the separation. CNBC also reported that Fox responded to Bartiromo’s challenge by saying its previous statement “speaks for itself.”
Fox’s own September 3rd release was terse. “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” the network said, before thanking her for her work over the previous 12 and a half years. The company simultaneously announced that “Mornings with Maria” would become “Mornings with FOX Business,” that her Friday Wall Street program would be renamed, and that “Sunday Morning Futures” would receive a new host.
The split is particularly notable because Bartiromo had become one of Fox’s most recognizable pro-Trump personalities. Axios reported that she had developed a strong rapport with Trump over the past decade, and the president quickly weighed in after news of her exit broke. “Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior,” Trump wrote, adding that her many fans “will not be happy.” He finished the message, “God bless you, Maria!”
Bartiromo joined Fox after a long career at CNBC and became a fixture of the network’s business and political coverage. Her tenure also placed her in the middle of Fox’s legal fights over coverage of the 2020 election. CNBC noted that she was among the Fox personalities named in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation case against the network, which Fox settled for $787.5 million in 2023, and that she is also a defendant in Smartmatic’s ongoing defamation case.
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The Los Angeles Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Bartiromo had already created concerns inside Fox because of legal controversies surrounding statements aired on her programs. According to the report, the possible breaking point was an allegation that Bartiromo shared internal Fox communications concerning the network’s editorial handling of election-related claims with the Trump White House.
The Wall Street Journal also reported on allegations that Bartiromo violated company policy by passing along internal information about Fox’s coverage plans. Fox has not publicly confirmed that allegation as the reason for Bartiromo’s departure, and Bartiromo’s attorney is fiercely contesting the reporting surrounding her exit. However, if the allegation proves accurate, it would offer the clearest explanation yet for why one of the network’s most prominent and Trump-friendly hosts suddenly disappeared from Fox’s lineup.
Watch Sen. Fetterman unload on Mamdani when speaking with Bartiromo here: