Dan Bongino is giving up his Westwood One radio show and podcast to join the Donald Trump administration as Deputy Director of the FBI. He admitted it was a difficult decision.
To begin his digital video show on Monday after the news broke, Bongino joked that it might be the most interesting weekend update of his media career.
After joking, he shared that leaving the media endeavors he’s built from the ground up is “a lot to walk away from.”
However, he noted that he has consistently believed and shared that good people are needed to speak up and sacrifice for the betterment of the country. With that guiding principle in mind, he is exiting his popular radio show and podcast to work at the FBI under new Director Kash Patel.
“It’s really hard for me, folks,” Dan Bongino said. “I hope you understand. We spent a long time building this … My wife and I started doing this show. It started in a basement. We never expected it to become this massive live stream, podcast, and radio show. We never expected it.
“I knew you guys were going to be there for us. So to walk away from it,” he said, pausing to fight back tears, “it’s not easy.”
Undeniably, Dan Bongino is giving up a larger salary with Westwood One and Rumble to become the Deputy Director of the FBI. He admitted he doesn’t care about that as much as serving in the new role.
“Money and all that other crap? Who gives a damn about any of that stuff? We’ll figure that out later,” he said. “I’m not gonna sit here as a commentator, talking head, whatever dopey title we have, tell you the do matters, and then sit on my ass when an opportunity comes to do the right thing. And not only talk about everything we wanted to change, but actually change it.”
Bongino — a former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent — had long been rumored as a potential target of the Trump administration.
The departure of Bongino marks the latest high-profile departure from the national syndication offerings from Westwood One. At the end of 2024, the network’s relationship with The Daily Wire — which included syndication of shows from Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, and Michael Knowles — ended, leaving many stations looking to fill three hours in the daily lineups.
In a statement, a Cumulus Media spokesperson confirmed that Dan Bongino will depart Westwood One on Friday, March 14th.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dan Bongino on his decision to take on the role of Deputy Director of the FBI,” the spokesperson said. “Dan has entertained and informed tens of millions of listeners every day and we are grateful for our successful partnership. We look forward to welcoming Dan back in the future. We truly value our audience, advertisers, and affiliates and remain dedicated to bringing them the next exciting chapter for this programming soon.”
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