Maria Bartiromo’s abrupt departure from Fox News has left the media world buzzing, and it’s easy to understand why. Reports indicate she was fired for allegedly sharing information with the Trump administration about the network’s coverage plans surrounding the president’s July primetime address on Chinese election interference. Bartiromo’s attorney has denied the claims, but the fallout is real regardless of where the truth ultimately lands.
If the reporting holds up, though, it doesn’t just end her run at Fox — it fundamentally reshapes where she can go next. A firing built around allegations of partisan overreach doesn’t exactly open doors. It slams a few shut entirely.
Let’s start with the obvious. ABC News, NBC News, and — despite what some corners of the internet might suggest — CBS News are off the table. These are networks that spent years building credibility around institutional neutrality, however imperfectly. Hiring Bartiromo under these circumstances would hand critics an easy narrative, and no news division wants to inherit that kind of story on day one.
Fox News and Fox Business Network are non-starters too, for reasons that don’t need much explanation. CNBC, her former home before she ever set foot at Fox, isn’t walking back through that door either. Too much time has passed, and the business news landscape has moved on without her.
The Cable News Puzzle
MS NOW sits on the opposite end of the political spectrum from where Bartiromo has built her brand, so that pairing doesn’t make sense on any level. NewsNation presents a more interesting case. The network insists it’s non-partisan, yet I’d challenge anyone to watch Katie Pavlich Tonight and walk away convinced. Still, NewsNation has spent years cultivating a credibility argument that hinges on staying above the partisan fray. Bringing in someone dismissed for allegedly leaking coverage plans to a political administration would undercut that pitch immediately. I wouldn’t rule it out entirely, but I’d bet against it.
That narrows the realistic field considerably. Once you eliminate the major broadcast networks, Fox’s own properties, CNBC, MS NOW, and probably NewsNation, you’re left with Newsmax and OAN. And frankly, I’m skeptical OAN has the budget to make a serious run at a name like Bartiromo’s.
Newsmax, on the other hand, doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It’s a conservative network, full stop, and it’s never hidden that identity.
Interestingly, though, it hasn’t become the default landing spot for every Fox News castaway looking for work. A handful have ended up there, sure, but it’s nowhere close to functioning as “Fox News Jr.” Even so, Newsmax remains the most logical cable landing spot if Bartiromo wants to stay in the television space.
Its audience overlaps heavily with hers, and its editorial posture wouldn’t require her to soften anything about her approach.
A Radio Wild Card Worth Watching
There’s another possibility that deserves attention, and it doesn’t involve cable television at all: 77 WABC. Station leadership has cultivated close ties with Donald Trump and his administration, mirroring the same dynamic that makes Newsmax a fit. Owner John Catsimatidis has never shied away from hiring controversial figures, and he’s shown a willingness to bring high-profile names onto his lineup regardless of the baggage attached.
Consider who’s already had a show there. Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, and Michael Cohen have all held spots on WABC’s air at various points. That track record suggests Catsimatidis isn’t losing sleep over reputational risk when a name carries enough weight to draw listeners. Could he view Bartiromo as a fit for talk radio? I don’t see why not.
To be clear, I’m not predicting this happens, nor am I suggesting it’s the likely outcome. But given Catsimatidis’ history and WABC’s political alignment, it’s a scenario worth keeping on the radar as Bartiromo weighs her next move.
Ultimately, the walls are closing in faster than they normally would for a talent of her stature. Bartiromo built a decades-long career as one of business television’s most recognizable faces, and now she’s staring down a shortlist that’s shrunk to essentially one cable network and one radio wild card. That’s a stunning turn for someone who once anchored some of the most-watched hours in financial news. Where she lands next will say plenty about how far the fallout from this Fox News exit truly extends.
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