Fox Ousts Bartiromo After 12 Years as Smartmatic Suit Looms

Fox News parted ways with Maria Bartiromo effective Thursday after she violated company policy by disclosing White House news-coverage plans, ending a 12½-year run that leaves the anchor a defendant in Smartmatic's defamation suit.

"We thank Maria for her work over the last 12½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter," Fox News said in a statement that gave no reason for the departure. The 58-year-old was removed for "business reasons," the network said, while a person familiar with the matter said she breached policy by sharing coverage plans with the White House after President Trump's July 16 speech on election security.

Bartiromo, who joined Fox in 2014 from CNBC, had been off the air since Aug. 9. Her Sunday show "Sunday Morning Futures" averaged 1.8 million viewers on Fox News year-to-date, while "Mornings with Maria" drew 114,000 on Fox Business and "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street" 97,000, according to Nielsen data.

The exit lands as Fox works to contain legal exposure tied to its 2020 election coverage. The network settled Dominion Voting Systems' defamation suit for $787.5 million in 2023, and Bartiromo remains a defendant in Smartmatic's continuing case over false claims that the voting technology company helped rig the 2020 presidential election.

Fox's abrupt handling mirrors the network's 2023 ouster of Tucker Carlson, whose departure was announced with the same "agreed to part ways" phrasing before it emerged he had been fired. Enforcement of internal policy against a marquee anchor carries reputational weight at a network that remains the most-watched in cable news, averaging nearly 2.5 million prime-time viewers in the second quarter versus about 1.1 million for MSNBC and 711,000 for CNN.

The personnel move does little to alter Fox's financial picture. Fox Business averaged 242,000 total business-day viewers in the second quarter, edging CNBC's 234,000, and the network said Bartiromo's programs will continue under new names with rotating anchors — "Mornings with FOX Business" from Friday, "FBN's Wall Street" hosted by Cheryl Casone, and "Sunday Morning Futures" helmed this week by Jason Chaffetz.

What matters next is the Smartmatic litigation, where Bartiromo's on-air comments remain central to the plaintiff's case. Fox has argued Smartmatic cannot prove the broadcasts caused financial harm, but a ruling against the network would compound the $787.5 million already paid to Dominion and sharpen scrutiny of how Fox polices the claims its personalities air. A permanent host for "Sunday Morning Futures" has not yet been named.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.