Fox News has cut ties with Maria Bartiromo after more than 12 years, and its own viewers are furious.
The network announced on September 3rd that Bartiromo was leaving, ending her tenure hosting “Mornings with Maria,” “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” and “Sunday Morning Futures.” Fox offered no public explanation for the decision. Bartiromo’s attorney fired back the following day, calling reports that she had been fired “absolutely and unequivocally false.”
The split triggered an immediate and loud backlash from MAGA viewers, who flooded social media as former Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz took over Bartiromo’s Sunday morning chair on a temporary basis. When Chaffetz opened the program with, “Welcome to Sunday Morning Futures, I’m Jason Chaffetz,” the reaction was swift and hostile.
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Conservative commentator Gunther Eagleman posted a blunt response to the clip. According to a report, Eagleman wrote, “Wrong. That chair belongs to Maria Bartiromo,” and credited her with building the Sunday program into a destination for conservative audiences. “America still knows who built that show and who owned Sunday mornings. Bring Maria back,” he added.
Other viewers announced they were done with Fox entirely. “I used to watch every Sunday morning. Not today, I went to Newsmax. No more FOX for me,” one wrote. Another took aim at Chaffetz’s background, connecting him to former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who now sits on the Fox Corporation board and has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. “And they selected that swamp rat. Probably Paul Ryan’s selection,” the viewer wrote.
Fox moved quickly to fill the gaps left across Bartiromo’s lineup. “Mornings with Maria” became “Mornings with FOX Business,” rotating through different anchors. Her Friday program was renamed “FBN’s Wall Street,” with Cheryl Casone stepping in to host. Chaffetz was tapped to lead “Sunday Morning Futures” temporarily while Fox searches for a permanent replacement.
Bartiromo launched “Sunday Morning Futures” in 2014, and the show became one of Fox’s strongest weekend programs under her watch. She regularly interviewed Trump and members of his administration, building a loyal viewership among conservatives.
Separate reporting linked her departure to an internal dispute over Fox’s handling of Trump’s July primetime address on election security. Bartiromo was allegedly found to have sent White House trade adviser Peter Navarro a screenshot of internal Fox guidance on coverage of the speech. Fox has not publicly confirmed or denied that account.
Her attorney, Bryan Freedman, signaled the situation is far from resolved. “Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise,” he said.
Whether that means a legal fight or a public disclosure battle remains to be seen. For now, Fox has a Bartiromo-shaped hole in its lineup and a viewer base that is not hiding its displeasure.
