Maria Bartiromo Reacts to Fox Exit: Attorney Says Reports She Was Fired Are 'Absolutely and Unequivocally False' Amid Departure Dispute

The story of Maria Bartiromo's sudden Fox News firing took a dramatic turn on September 4, when her lawyer contended that actually she wasn't let go from the network at all.

In a statement, her attorney, Bryan Freedman, wrote, "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."

The statement contradicts Fox's own announcement of Bartiromo's departure.

On September 3, the network said in a press release: "Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media. In making the announcement, FOX News Media said, 'We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.'"

The 2020 election was a topic on which Bartiromo had pushed the envelope for years. Her coverage was at the center of defamation claims brought by Dominion Voting Systems, which Fox News settled for $787.5 million in 2023.

In December 2020, Bartiromo said on the air that an “intel source” had told her “President Trump did in fact win the election.”

Bartiromo reportedly communicated that the story was killed with The White House, which executives viewed as a fireable offense. Her executive producer, Patrick Ignozzi, was also fired by the network.

But Freedman appears to contend that Fox's announcement and all subsequent reporting into her apparent departure are false.

"Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise," he wrote. "Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth."

While Freedman is contending that Bartiromo is still employed by Fox News, the network has taken steps to erase her completely.

Her three shows, Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Mornings with Maria, and Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street have all been given generic rebrands. Her bio has also been erased from the network's website.

It's unclear what "incredulous facts" Freedman was referring to in his statement. Reporting about Bartiromo's sudden departure has come from a number of reputable outlets, many of which cited insiders with knowledge of the situation.

Puck News and Status both reported that the texts to the White House were what caused Fox to make a "business decision" to fire Bartiromo. NPR and The Los Angeles Times reported that Fox executives were already down on her for the legal headaches her allegiance to 2020 conspiracies gave the network. Bartiromo featured prominently in the Dominion lawsuit, as she zealously pushed 2020 election conspiracy theories and hosted guests who did the same.

Reporting from Mediaite said that staff were barred from speaking to Bartiromo from the last time she was on air in August until her firing.

Fox is left waiting to see what sort of attack Freedman will bring in court.

Freedman has represented myriad cable news figures as they've exited from their host networks, including Fox News vets Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson. He also represented Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo when they left CNN.

He is known for his fierce loyalty to his clients, with Carlson saying that Freedman "has a very uncommon sense of honor" in the "ugly" media business.