OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Conservative talk radio personality and popular Fox News host Dan Bongino announced on his show on Thursday that he will no longer be doing his show on the embattled network.
“Folks, regretfully, last week was my last show on Fox News on the Fox News Channel,” the host said on his podcast Thursday Variety reported. “It’s tough. It’s tough to say that. You know, I’ve been there doing hits and working there for ten years…so the show ending was tough. And I want you to know it’s not some big conspiracy. I promise you. There’s no acrimony. This wasn’t some WWE brawl that happened. We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension.”
Fox News also responded.
“We thank Dan for his contributions and wish him success in his future endeavors,” Fox News said in a statement. The networks intends to air “Lawrence Jones Cross Country” in place of Bongino’s program Saturday night while filling 10 p.m. with an encore of the weekday 11 p.m. program “Gutfeld!” Fox News plans to unveil a new schedule in the coming weeks, Variety reported.
“I really enjoyed myself there and you know they were good to me for ten years. I mean they allowed me to do a show called ‘Unfiltered,’ did what we wanted to do over there and covered the topics we wanted to cover. And it’s a sad day. It’s a sad day,” Bongino continued on his show.
“They did give me the opportunity to do one last show. I don’t want you to think they like, showed me the door, that’s on me, not on them. But I just thought it was best to kind of go this way for now. Like I said, it’s not acrimonious. I have a great team over there,” he added.
BONGINO: “Regretfully, last week was my last show on @FoxNews.” pic.twitter.com/NOGwTL6A92
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 20, 2023
The news comes as speculation, which is unconfirmed, points to two popular hosts possibly getting the ax, Radar Online reported.
Dylan Byers, who founded Puck News, has predicted Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro are going to be the two hosts that are going to be booted. Some other reports have suggested, without any substantial proof, that even host Sean Hannity could face some sort of warning.
But, Byers said, there is a chance that they would not be fired but given a stern warning to be careful of what they say in the future.
“So I anticipate one of two things will happen here, or has perhaps already happened: The first possibility is that Fox News C.E.O. Suzanne Scott sits down with Bartiromo and Pirro and anyone else who came up to the line of libel and says, be careful,” he said.
“Alternatively, Rupert and Suzanne have already decided to elegantly and eventually show Bartiromo and/or Pirro the door,” he said.
The Puck News founder also added that Murdoch said during his testimony that it was not Fox News, but certain hosts who made false statements about the 2020 presidential election.
“Not Fox, no. Not Fox. But maybe Lou Dobbs, maybe [Bartiromo] as commentators,” Murdoch said. “Some of our commentators were endorsing it.”
“If I’m [Bartiromo], that feels like the kiss of death,” Byers said.
“The last thing on earth that Murdoch wants is to leave himself vulnerable to another $787-million headache,” he noted further. “If you’re trying to avoid future libel lawsuits, that’s not exactly the kind of person you want on camera.”
Forbes recently reported that Bongino’s departure from Fox Corp. came shortly after the company agreed to pay $787.5 million in a settlement to Dominion Voting Systems.
The settlement resulted from accusations that Fox Corp. had defamed the ballot technology company by promoting baseless conspiracy theories about its involvement in the 2020 presidential election. Bongino was not expected to testify or play a significant role in the trial.
