Maria Bartiromo’s attorney is threatening legal action after forcefully denying reports that Fox News fired the veteran anchor. Attorney Bryan Freedman said Thursday that any characterization of his client as having been fired is “absolutely and unequivocally false,” and warned that he has evidence ready to back that claim.
The statement came hours after Fox News Media announced in a brief press release that Bartiromo was “no longer with” the company after more than 12 years. Axios separately reported that a Fox spokesperson confirmed she had been fired for business reasons, though the network offered no public explanation for the decision.
Bryan Freedman’s Warning to Fox and Reporters
Freedman went directly after both the network and the outlets covering the story. The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false,” he told the Daily Mail. “Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise.”
He did not stop there. “Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth,” Freedman added. Fox News did not respond publicly to Freedman’s statement. For its part, the company said only: “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”
According to Maria Bartiromo’s departure from Fox News, her final program, “Mornings with Maria,” aired Thursday on Fox Business Network, though Bartiromo herself had not appeared on air since Aug. 9. The show will be rebranded as “Mornings with Fox Business” and hosted by a rotating group of anchors. Her weekly program, “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” will become “FBN’s Wall Street,” with Cheryl Casone hosting the first edition. Former Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz will temporarily fill in on “Sunday Morning Futures” while Fox looks for a permanent host.
A Confluence of Factors Behind the Split
Competing accounts have emerged about what led to Bartiromo’s exit. Status News reported that she allegedly disclosed confidential Fox guidance to President Donald Trump or another White House official, specifically that the network had instructed senior employees to avoid giving credence to claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Fox has not confirmed whether that alleged disclosure played any role in its decision.
Mediaite reported that the purported leak was “not the only reason” for the departure. Sources described a “confluence of factors” that had strained her relationship with network executives, including editorial disagreements, costly litigation and problems tied to recent interviews. One flashpoint came after a May appearance by Kevin O’Leary, who accused opponents of a Utah data center of being backed by China without evidence, prompting Fox to air corrections and apologies. As tensions grew, Bartiromo’s staff was reportedly told not to communicate with her directly without going through management.
Defamation Suits and a $70 Million Contract
Bartiromo’s broadcasts were cited in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox, which the network settled in 2023 for $787.5 million. She is also a named defendant in Smartmatic’s separate $2.7 billion defamation case against Fox and several of its personalities, a case that a source told Mediaite is “still hanging out there.” Documents from the Smartmatic litigation revealed that Bartiromo stood to receive more than $70 million from Fox, covering her tenure through a contract extending into 2025.
Bartiromo officially joined Fox Business in January 2014 after two decades at CNBC, where she began in 1993. She became the first television journalist to deliver daily live reports from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Her attorney’s threat of court action means the full account of her departure may ultimately be decided by a judge rather than a press release.
