Maria Bartiromo has disputed reports that she was fired by Fox News and Fox Business, a day after the networks announced that she had left the company after more than 12 years.
Her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said on Friday that claims Bartiromo had been terminated or was no longer employed by Fox were “absolutely and unequivocally false”.
“Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise,” he said, accusing those reporting her dismissal of showing “a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth”.
Fox News Media announced on Thursday that Bartiromo was no longer with the organisation, effective immediately. It thanked her for her work and wished her well in “her next chapter”, but did not initially give a reason for the split.
A Fox representative subsequently described the departure as a business decision, while reports from several media outlets claimed that Bartiromo had been dismissed for allegedly breaching company policy. Fox has not publicly set out the specific circumstances behind her exit.
Under plans announced by the network, her former weekday programme, Mornings with Maria, will become Mornings with Fox Business and will be presented by rotating anchors. Her Friday programme, Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street, will be replaced by FBN’s Wall Street, initially hosted by Cheryl Casone.
Fox News said Jason Chaffetz would present Sunday Morning Futures this weekend, with a permanent host to be announced later.
Bartiromo, a former CNBC anchor, was one of Fox’s most prominent presenters. She also became a defendant in defamation litigation brought by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic over allegations broadcast on Fox programmes concerning the 2020 US presidential election.
Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787.5 million to settle its case in 2023, avoiding a trial at which Bartiromo had been expected to testify. The Smartmatic lawsuit, in which she is also named, remains ongoing.
