PoliticsMaria Bartiromo’s Top Producer Also Out Amid Stunning Report Ex-Anchor 'Betrayed' Fox by Secretly Communicating With Trump Admin
Maria Bartiromo's executive producer, Patrick Ignozzi, was also fired from Fox News.
Sept. 4 2026, Published 11:29 a.m. ET
Following Fox News star Maria Bartiromo being ousted for leaking confidential internal guidance from Fox to the Trump White House, her executive producer, Patrick Ignozzi, was also fired.
Ignozzi, who served as the longtime executive producer of Mornings With Maria on Fox Business, was pushed out at the same time as Bartiromo, who was axed after 12 years at the far-right network.
Maria Bartiromo's Colleage Was Also Axed
Patrick Ignozzi, the executive producer of Maria Bartiromo's show, was also axed from Fox News.
While Fox officially called the terminations a "business decision," network leadership cleared out the show's top management after discovering that Bartiromo had screenshotted confidential corporate instructions — which told her not to cover President Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories — and leaked them directly to White House officials.
Following the firings, Fox News Media immediately scrubbed Bartiromo's digital footprint.
It announced plans to rename Mornings With Maria to Mornings With Fox Business, utilizing a rotating cast of substitute anchors.
Why Was Maria Bartiromo Fired?
Donald Trump defended the TV star, calling her 'a total professional and a true warrior.'
In July, Fox Business executives sent a text message directive to show producers instructing them not to carry Trump's unhinged prime-time election conspiracy speech live or lend credibility to his claims that China interfered in the 2020 election.
Bartiromo took a screenshot of those confidential coverage plans and forwarded them to a Trump associate. Her actions were seen as “betraying her employer," a report stated.
Fox management discovered the leak after the White House directly challenged the network regarding its decision not to air the speech.
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Maria Bartiromo fueled 2020 election fraud conspiracies.
Fox executives deemed the leak a blatant violation of her employment agreement and made the sudden "business decision" to fire her and Ignozzi.
While the leak was the breaking point, reports from NPR and the Los Angeles Times noted that Bartiromo had already fallen out of favor with leadership due to the immense legal headaches she caused the network, most notably her prominent role in the promotion of unfounded voter fraud theories that resulted in Fox’s $787 million Dominion defamation settlement.
In December 2020, Bartiromo said on the air that an “intel source” informed her that “President Trump did in fact win the election.”
Donald Trump Defends Maria Bartiromo
Maria Bartiromo has hired lawyer Bryan Freedman, who has represented Megyn Kelly, Justin Baldoni and Tucker Carlson.
Trump defended Bartiromo and issued a blunt warning to Fox News following her abrupt firing.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump expressed disbelief and praised Bartiromo.
"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. Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria!” he posted.
Bartiromo has hired famed lawyer Bryan Freedman, best known for clients including actor Justin Baldoni and conservative media figures Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson.
