Maria Bartiromo’s staff received a shocking diktat from Fox News executives ahead of her firing, according to a new report.
The 58-year-old was shown the door on Thursday after more than 12 years with the company, allegedly for leaking an internal memo to the White House, Status reported.
Citing a source inside Fox, Mediaite reports that executives told her staff to isolate her in the weeks leading up to her ouster.
“In order to talk to her, you had to go to management,” the source said, adding that was how staffers “knew something was up.”
They said staff had been “instructed not to talk to her.”
“Even her own staff had to go through management,” the source said, according to the news site. “People were freaking out.”
They added that she had then gone to the Hamptons and had been “nowhere to be found,” wasn’t in her usual circles, and wasn’t returning calls.
They added that it was “almost like she was undercover.”
Bartiromo was reported by Status to have been among senior staff at Fox who were told not to cover President Trump’s conspiratorial claims of 2020 Chinese election interference during a speech he gave in July.
The White House reportedly noticed the lack of coverage, with a member of the administration asking her why those particular comments had not been given airtime. The report claims that she then revealed the reasoning and sent screenshots as evidence.
The same Mediaite report suggested, however, that this was only the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Its sources said it was, in fact, “not the only reason,” but a “confluence of factors” that led to her getting the boot.
She was one of the key figures cited in a pair of lawsuits—one a monster $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems and the other with Smartmatic, which the source said is “still hanging out there”—although a Fox spokesperson told the outlet it was a “business decision.”
The source also said she earned no flowers for a segment she did with Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary, who got conspiratorial live on air about why he wasn’t allowed to build data centers in Utah.
“The Kevin O’Leary thing was not good,” the source said, before adding that she had let the Marty Supreme star “say something crazy about China paying people,” and made it appear to be “breaking news” without offering a right of reply.
Fox issued several apologies, and he retracted his comments, but both were sued for alleged defamatory comments.
Fox has wasted no time moving on from her, and her shows are already being renamed.
Mornings with Maria is due to shift to Mornings with Fox Business, while Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street is to become FBN’s Wall Street.
President Trump wasn’t impressed by the fiasco.
“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,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
In a statement announcing her departure, Fox said, “We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 and a half years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Bartiromo’s lawyer pushed back on claims she’d been ousted.
“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,” said Bryan Freedman.
“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. 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.”
