Why veteran Fox News host was ousted after almost 30 years
Neil Cavuto was forced to leave Fox News because his show was a ‘wormhole to another time’ before Donald Trump took over the Republican Party . The anchor, 66, ended his 28-year tenure at the network on Thursday afternoon . It was rumored Cavuto declined to sign a new contract, which was described as ‘a very generous opportunity’ by the star on his last show.
It is believed, however, that Cavuto may have been the latest cable news anchor to be asked to take less money, after similar reports of CNN and MSNBC talent getting their wages cut have emerged in recent weeks. However, Fox News has remained at the top of the cable ratings every week and reportedly delivers over a billion dollars in profit each year.
‘For someone who has been at the channel since its inception in 1996, and who has poured his heart and soul into the company, that probably stung just a bit,’ Oliver Darcy reported in his Status newsletter. The LA Times also suggested that Cavuto’s new contract would’ve been for less in a cost-cutting move.
The bigger problem is Cavuto being one of the few Trump-skeptical voices remaining on the network after the defections of Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace in recent years. After Trump became the standard-bearer in 2016, conservative media became more in line with him. ‘Donald Trump not only remade the Republican Party in his own image, but he also remade the right-wing media landscape in it too. Fox News’ 2024 lineup is a reflection of that,’ Darcy claims.
Trump himself celebrated Cavuto’s exit from the network in a Truth Social post following the announcement. He wrote: ‘GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA! Neil Cavuto, the Lowest Rated Anchor on Fox, by far, is leaving – Should have happened a long time ago!’ The Murdoch family and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott likely stood to spend less money on someone who would get higher ratings and cause less of a problem with the incoming president.
In a statement, Fox News said: ‘ Neil Cavuto’s illustrious career has been a master class in journalism, and we’re extremely proud of his incredible 28-year run with FOX News Media. ‘His programs have defined business news and set the standard for the entire industry. We wish him a heartfelt farewell and all the best on his next chapter.’ His programming has become known for his willingness to call out President-elect Donald Trump and was often a target of Trump.
Cavuto was a vocal critic of frequent Covid vaccine denialism especially after a second bout of the virus that nearly claimed his life. In September of this year Trump attacked Cavuto as being ‘one of the WORST on television’ after Cavuto said he lost the debate against Kamala Harris. In a Truth Social post, he said: ‘Neil Cavuto, Fox’s Lowest Rated Anchor, is one of the WORST on Television. I actually prefer the losers at CNN and MSDNC.’ Cavuto also went after the president-elect in 2020 after he promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid. Trump went on a Twitter rant claiming the network had ‘more anti-Trump people, by far, than ever before’.
His former Fox colleague and conservative firebrand Tucker Carlson also had a dig at him in 2020 after he cut off then White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. McEnany had been repeating Trump’s claims of illegal voting when Cavuto decided to cut away, much to the annoyance of Carlson who called it media censorship . In 1997 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and had undergone open-heart surgery in 2016. He helped launch ‘Your World’ when the network first went live in 1996 and later spearheaded ‘Cavuto Live’ in 2018. The network said that a series of rotating anchors would take over from Cavuto until a new show was announced in the new year.
His departure comes amid general budget-tightening across cable news networks including the likes of CNN. Star journalists have been departing several networks as opposed to taking smaller salaries. Just this week senior CNN staffer Gloria Borger announced her plans to leave the company after 17 years.
Her exit came just days after CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota abruptly signed off for the last time after a decade with the station. Weeks before, execs cut ties with veteran Chris Wallace, whom days earlier insiders had said would have likely been on the receiving end of a pay cut if he decided to stay. The 77-year-old had reportedly been making $7 million-a-year.
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