DirecTV’s decision to drop Newsmax from its channel lineup rather than pay a carriage fee to the conservative outlet has proven to be a contentious one. Newsmax host Eric Bolling is pondering why Fox News isn’t standing up for the network.
Bolling welcomed Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) to his Newsmax show, The Balance, after the Congressman floated the possibility of public hearings after the satellite provider’s decision. After the discussion — which included Van Drew committing to following through with public hearings on the topic — Bolling pointed out that his current channel backed One American News after DirecTV removed it as well.
“We stood up for OAN. When OAN got de-platformed, we stood up for them. So it’s not about that. It’s not about just us,” Bolling said.
DirecTV removed OAN in March of 2022, even after its parent company, AT&T, reportedly spent millions bankrolling the channel. Bolling questioned why Fox News wasn’t aiding another conservative outlet the way Newsmax aided OAN.
“By the way, where are you, Fox? How about you, Fox?” The Balance host asked. “How about you stand up for us? We did it for OAN.”
The 59-year-old Bolling worked at Fox from 2008 to September 2017 before departing after being accused of sending unsolicited sexual pictures and text messages to female colleagues. Bolling has denied the accusations and the statement from the network at the time of his exit claimed the decision was a mutual one.
After removing Newsmax, DirecTV replaced it with another conservative channel, The First, which did not require a carriage fee.
