Maria Bartiromo was completely iced out at Fox News in weeks before her firing, report claims, after she allegedly shared internal memo with White House

Ousted Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo was completely iced out at the network as her staff were barred from talking to her in the weeks before her firing, reports say. 

The longtime anchor, 58, was unexpectedly axed from Fox Business on Thursday, with the company issuing a blunt press release announcing it had ‘parted ways’ with Bartiromo. 

According to Status News, the final straw was allegations Bartiromo leaked to President Trump that ‘Fox issued guidance to senior employees instructing them to steer clear of giving credence to Trump’s delusional claims’ about the 2020 election being stolen from him. 

But sources told Mediaite that the alleged leak was ‘not the only reason’ she was fired, and her exit was not a surprise within the Fox ranks as her staff had been ‘freaking out’ about the future of her shows for weeks.

Insiders told the outlet that Bartiromo’s relationship with Fox executives had broken down over a ‘confluence of factors’, including several editorial disagreements over the direction of her shows.

This reportedly included her role in Fox’s $787 million settlement to Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 over its peddling of Trump’s election claims, and several botched interviews on the air this year.

As Bartiromo’s relationship with Fox bosses reportedly fell apart, sources said her staff were barred from even speaking with her, while she laid low in the Hamptons and was ‘nowhere to be found.’

Bartiromo was reportedly so un-reachable that it was ‘like she was undercover’, with her future in limbo for weeks before she was ultimately fired this week.

Sources said that while Bartiromo’s alleged leak to Trump may have been the final straw, she had been clashing with executives for some time. 

Alongside her role in peddling Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims that led to the huge settlement with Dominion, another similar lawsuit from Smartmatic that is ‘still hanging out there’ had also been hurting her status at the network. 

Amid the breakdown of Bartiromo’s relationship with Fox executives, her staff were then ordered not to even attempt to speak with her.

‘In order to talk to her, you had to go to management,’ the source said, adding that her staff had known for weeks that ‘something was up.’

‘People were freaking out,’ the source said.

As Bartiromo was booted from the network, her longtime producer Patrick Ignozzi was also ousted, Puck News reported. 

Amid reports that she leaked classified internal information to the Trump administration, the president quickly defended her on Thursday in a Truth Social post.

‘I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great shows on Fox News/ Business,’ Trump wrote.

‘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!’ 

Bartiromo was since reportedly hired attorney Bryan Freedman to guide her through her termination, after the high-powered lawyer previously represented other major ousted news personalities including Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon.

She was quickly removed from Fox News’ website, with her bio page and show content erased from online. 

Her shows, Mornings With Maria and Sunday Morning Futures, are now set to be hosted by a rotating cast of anchors and Fox personalities in the coming weeks.