The Fox News leadership team decided to fire Bartiromo in August, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The immediate reason was Bartiromo’s disclosure of confidential information to the Trump White House, the source told CNN.
According to the reports, Maria was fired in September 2026 after attempting to air a segment regarding alleged conspiracy theories about China’s involvement in the 2020 election. Bartiromo reportedly wanted to pursue claims that China interfered with or influenced the 2020 presidential election. Network producers and executives refused to broadcast the material.
The Issue
I don’t know what Mrs. Bartiromo wanted to report. However, there is evidence of possible Chinese interference in the 2020 election. There were warnings, and the CCP allegedly compromised the voter records in 18 states, as Catherine Herridge reported. However, Trump’s FBI and CISA said they did not compromise the records.
Additionally, foreign influence operations and vulnerabilities were uncovered. Investigative journalist Catherine Herridge appeared on “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” analyzing President Donald Trump’s election security concerns and accusations that China had accessed millions of U.S. voter records. She told Katie Pavlich that she had located a conversation within the documents stating that they had manipulated one of the president’s daily briefs.
The Last Straw?
According to reports, the last straw for Fox News was when Mrs. Bartiromo reportedly shared text messages about the canceled story with the White House, prompting direct contact from the administration with network leadership. Fox News viewed this action as a breach of internal protocol and immediately terminated her contract.
The network is highly sensitive to claims about the 2020 election due to the massive fallout from defamation litigation. Fox News paid $787.5 million to settle a defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems in 2023. A separate multi-billion-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by Smartmatic has kept legal scrutiny active for the network and specific on-air personalities named as defendants, including Bartiromo herself.
But there may have been other factors. In a sign that the split was contentious, Fox said Bartiromo’s departure was “effective today.” She didn’t have a chance to say goodbye.
The Beginning of the End
Bartiromo’s disclosure dates back to mid-July, when Trump delivered a prime-time speech about the election system and allegedly made conspiratorial claims about China and the 2020 election.
According to Status and Puck, two media publications, Bartiromo wanted to discuss Trump’s claims on air. But a Fox executive directed the network not to cover the alleged conspiracy theories, the source confirmed to CNN.
Someone will pick her up. She is very talented, and she’s a loss for the network.
In the meantime, Maria Bartiromo has reportedly hired powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman. He represented Tucker Carlson. She won’t go quietly.
🚨 WOW. Maria Bartiromo has reportedly hired powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman following her abrupt firing from Fox News.
Freedman previously represented Tucker Carlson in his high-profile legal battle with the network and Justin Baldoni in his legal battle with Blake Lively.… pic.twitter.com/sTVnRsS9m1
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) September 3, 2026