Fox News is replacing one opinionated business anchor with another, assigning Larry Kudlow to anchor “Sunday Morning Futures” on an interim basis following its ouster of longtime staffer Maria Bartiromo.
Kudlow will host the 10 a.m. program starting Sunday, and continue through the weekend after the midterm elections on November 8. Fox News Channel says a new host will be named at a later date.
Kudlow, a longtime CNBC personality who joined Fox Business Network in 2021 following a stint in the first Trump administration, held several top Wall Street jobs and advised politicians ranging from President Ronald Regan to former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman on the economy from behind the scenes. On CNBC, he often held forth with another longtime host, former hedge fund manager Jim Cramer.
Kudlow will take the reins of a program that was built around Bartiromo, who aimed to bring market perspective to politics, but became known for giving conservative lawmakers and officials free rein to speak their piece without being challenged overmuch on the facts. Bartiromo has not been seen on any Fox News properties since August 9, when she did what became her final broadcast of Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria.”
Bartiromo is believed to have passed along a directive issued to executive producers at Fox Business Network to the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter, and those instructions may have cautioned Fox Business staffers against support to outlandish claims made by President Donald Trump in public remarks. Divulging confidential company information to an outside party would likely be seen as a violation of terms of employment. An attorney for Bartiromo, Bryan Freedman, issued a statement saying Bartiromo continues to be employed by Fox News Media, but she has not been seen on its platforms in weeks.
Kudlow’s eponymously titled Fox Business program Kudlow’s is the most-watched program on the cable network. He has interviewed many key newsmakers, including President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Elon Musk and House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson.
In the past, Kudlow expressed a desire to stick to business and policy. “I like people to be able to spend their own money,” he told Variety in 2021. “I like them to have as much freedom as possible.”