This week brought a seemingly noteworthy shakeup to the cable news sector of the 2026 TV schedule, as reports spread quickly claiming that longtime Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo had been fired or let go from the the network. But just one day later, and it looks like the journo is fighting back against such reporting, and she’s looped in the legal team that sided with Justin Baldoni in the director’s legal battle with Blake Lively, which concluded in May with a joint settlement.
Though no specific reasons were laid out, Fox News itself reported on the situation, and seemed to make it quite clear that Bartiromo was being let go, with a representative sharing this statement:
Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media. We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.
As far as the alleged reasoning for the alleged firing, Status alleged that Bartiromo shared internal communications with the White House that stemmed from Fox News executives. But that claim and others are being argued against by high-profile attorney Bryan Freedman, who has a history of representing ousted cable news hosts. (He repped Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo after their respective CNN exists, Tucker Carlson after Fox News, and Megyn Kelly after NBC.
Freedman is making the claim that Maria Bartiromo wasn't fired at all from Fox News, and is further arguing that she remains employed by Fox, with suggestions that things could get litigious. As he put it:
For many years, Maria Bartiromo hosted three number-one-rated television shows on Fox channels. She has been, without question, one of the hardest-working journalists throughout her award-winning career. 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.
Considering Fox News itself is the one who put the news out there, it's unclear how the report could be "unequivocally false," but Bryan Freedman purports that he'll be able to prove his case thanks to "receipts." He continued:
Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise. Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth.
It's worth pointing out that Bryan Freedman came out of the Baldoni/Lively settlement still claiming that his client was the victor — a client that he'd sued himself years prior — with Lively's team calling him out for a lack of understanding.
While not exactly one of the longest-running news anchors working, Bartiromo has been in the biz for around 30 years, getting her start at CNBC, which she called home for many years before jumping ship to Fox News in 2013. Since then, she'd become a regular presence on the network, appearing as a guest on a slew of shows beyond the ones that she herself hosted.
It appears as if this behind-the-scenes change was anticipated, as Maria Bartiromo seemingly hasn't been in her regular hosting spots since mid-August. Today's Mornings with Fox Business is utilizing rotating anchors, and Fox News Media also shared that the former anchor's eponymous Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street will now be retitled as FBN's Wall Street, with Cheryl Casone and a rotating anchor lineup taking charge. FNC's Sunday Morning Futures will be temporarily taken over by Jason Chaffetz, and a permanent replacement will be announced at a future date.
Unless, of course, Bryan Freedman can successfully argue that Bartiromo is indeed still employed by the cable news giant.
