Maria Bartiromo’s departure from Fox News has developed into something stranger than a routine network breakup. Fox News Media says she is gone, while her newly retained lawyer says reports that she is no longer a Fox employee are false.
Bryan Freedman, who is representing the longtime Fox Business and Fox News anchor, said reports describing Bartiromo as fired or no longer employed by Fox were “absolutely and unequivocally false.” He also warned that he has “receipts and witnesses” that could emerge through a courthouse or elsewhere, according to reporting from NBC News carried by AOL.
The statement directly conflicts with Fox News Media’s September 3 announcement, which said, “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media.” Fox thanked her for more than 12 years at the company and immediately announced changes to all three programs associated with her.
Neither side has publicly explained how the two positions fit together. Fox’s statement refers specifically to Fox News Media, while Freedman says Bartiromo remains an employee of Fox. No public contract has clarified whether that wording reflects a meaningful distinction, and no lawsuit had been announced as of Friday.
Freedman Says He Has ‘Receipts and Witnesses’
Freedman’s statement challenged more than the use of the word “fired.” “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 said, adding that people reporting otherwise had shown what he called reckless disregard for the truth.
Fox’s own announcement is equally direct about its position. The company said Bartiromo was “no longer with FOX News Media” effective September 3 and later told news organizations that the separation was a “business decision.” It has not publicly supplied details about her contract or responded point by point to Freedman’s claim that she remains employed.
The reference to a courthouse makes the disagreement potentially more significant than an argument over terminology, although Freedman did not announce a lawsuit or specify what his promised evidence would show. Until either side provides more documentation, the public record consists of two incompatible statements about Bartiromo’s status.
Fox Is Already Operating Without Bartiromo
Whatever remains disputed contractually, Fox has already removed Bartiromo from its television lineup. Mornings with Maria became Mornings with FOX Business on Friday, with Cheryl Casone anchoring the first edition of the renamed program. Mediaite reported that Bartiromo was not discussed during the three hour broadcast, apart from Casone briefly beginning to say the old title before correcting herself.
Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street has also been renamed FBN’s Wall Street, with Casone handling the first hosting duties before rotating anchors take over. Fox said Jason Chaffetz will host Sunday Morning Futures this weekend while the network searches for a permanent replacement.
Those programming decisions show that Fox News Media is publicly proceeding as though Bartiromo’s on air tenure has ended. They do not, by themselves, settle the separate employment or contractual issue Freedman is raising.
Peter Navarro Confirms Bartiromo Sent Him Internal Fox Guidance
The reporting around why Bartiromo left also changed on Friday. Status and Puck had reported that she shared internal Fox guidance concerning coverage of President Donald Trump’s election claims with people in the White House, an account Fox itself had neither confirmed nor denied.
Trump adviser Peter Navarro has now confirmed one central detail. He told Puck that Bartiromo texted him a screenshot of internal Fox Business guidance after he had been scheduled to appear on her program to discuss voter fraud. TheWrap reported that the guidance instructed the program not to pursue coverage involving claims about China and the 2020 election.
Navarro’s statement establishes that he received the screenshot from Bartiromo, but it does not establish why she sent it or prove that the message caused Fox to end her on air role. Puck noted that Bartiromo could argue she was informing a booked guest that the planned subject was no longer going to be discussed. Fox has continued to say only that the departure was a business decision.
Bartiromo’s Shows Changed Before the Employment Dispute Was Resolved
Bartiromo had been one of Fox’s most recognizable financial journalists after joining Fox Business in 2014 following more than two decades at CNBC. She hosted the weekday Mornings with Maria, the weekly Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street and Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, giving her a presence across both business and political coverage.
Her career predates Fox by decades. Bartiromo became the first journalist to report live daily from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1995 and developed one of the most recognizable names in financial television before her work increasingly expanded into national politics.
For now, however, her résumé is secondary to the unresolved question created by the past two days. Fox News Media says Bartiromo is no longer with the company division and has already stripped her name from its programming. Her attorney says she remains a Fox employee and promises evidence. What that distinction means may now depend on documents neither side has made public.