Fox News Media announced on Thursday that Fox Business and Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo was out, and speculation immediately went wild about what was behind the surprise move.
“Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” the network announced, adding, “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”
With little else added, rumors began to fly that the development was linked to President Donald Trump and reports of election irregularities involving China.
Puck News’ Dylan Byers posted on X that Bartiromo “wanted to pursue a story related to China and 2020 election voting conspiracies… a major sensitivity for the network given its Dominion and Smartmatic lawsuits.”
After a Fox Business executive informed producers that the story could not be aired, Bartiromo “took a screen shot of the guidance and sent it to senior White House officials,” according to Byers.
“Fox News leadership learned about that after receiving a call from the White House, which they viewed as a fireable offense,” he said. “Fox pulled Bartiromo from air after Aug. 9. She was fired today. I have also learned that her executive producer Patrick Ignozzi was also fired after the [announcement].”
NEW: The Maria Bartiromo backstory, per multiple sources familiar….
Maria Bartiromo wanted to pursue a story related to China and 2020 election voting conspiracies… a major sensitivity for the network given its Dominion and Smartmatic lawsuits.
A Fox Business executive sent…
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) September 3, 2026
Left-leaning Status reported a somewhat related angle of the same story, claiming Fox News fired Bartiromo after she told the White House in July that the network had instructed talent not to focus on Trump’s “delusional claims” after “his unhinged primetime speech in which he pushed more conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.”
NEWS: Status is reporting Fox fired Maria Bartiromo after she leaked internal texts to the White House showing the network had told staff to stop amplifying Trump’s latest election conspiracy theories. Trump has so thoroughly captured the right-wing media ecosystem that its… pic.twitter.com/GlBDnqVTxi
— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) September 3, 2026
Making no mention of any role in her departure, Trump responded with a statement on Truth Social, “I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business. 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!”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 4, 2026
Eric Trump weighed in, saying Bartiromo’s departure was “a huge loss for Fox.”
.@MariaBartiromo is the best in the business and the hardest-working person in media. Smart. Kind. Principled. The best interviewer on television. Proud to have been with her everywhere that mattered over the past 15 years — Wall Street, Davos, Milwaukee, and every corner of the… pic.twitter.com/1U6V8DnsdV
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) September 3, 2026
Byers also dismissed any talk about Bartiromo’s exit being the result of a pending job in the Trump White House, while noting that she was denied an on-air sign-off.
Maria Bartiromo, who has been off air since August 9 and was not given an on-air sign off, is *not* leaving Fox News for of a White House job, I’m told.
That said, it’s always possible Trump could offer one post-facto.
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) September 3, 2026
On that note, there was plenty of speculation about Bartiromo replacing recently departed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Guess he found his next press secretary https://t.co/iTgWaXOXSX
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) September 3, 2026
Maria Bartiromo is the best in the business and a proud product of our congressional district.
I’m sad to see her leave Fox but I know she’ll be successful in whatever she chooses to do next!
Maybe it’s time for a Brooklyn girl to be the next White House Press Secretary? 🤔
— Nicole Malliotakis (@NMalliotakis) September 3, 2026
Additional speculation prompted the question, “Which White House official decided to burn Maria and call Fox News to specifically rat her out?”
I’m just gonna ask the question nobody seems to want to ask because I genuinely love Maria Bartiromo. She’s been one of my favorites for years, and I love a lot of the other anchors at Fox News too.
Which White House official decided to burn Maria and call Fox News to…
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) September 4, 2026
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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