Overview
- Fox announced it was parting ways with Maria Bartiromo on Thursday, September 3, and immediately restructured and rebranded her Fox Business programs.
- Multiple outlets report the move followed Bartiromo sharing a screenshot of internal Fox Business guidance that told producers not to promote or push President Trump’s July speech or 2020 election segments.
- Peter Navarro says Bartiromo sent him the screenshot, that he forwarded it to other White House officials, and that the White House phoned Fox CEO Suzanne Scott to complain about the directive.
- Fox framed the change as a "business decision," while Bartiromo’s lawyer Bryan Freedman called reports she was fired "absolutely and unequivocally false" and vowed to produce evidence to the contrary.
- The episode highlights how past defamation exposure, including the Dominion settlement and a pending Smartmatic suit, is shaping Fox’s editorial choices and could deepen tensions between the network and Trump-aligned allies.