Dan Bongino, the nationally syndicated radio and podcast host, confirmed Thursday that he is departing Fox News, effective immediately.
Bongino made the announcement during an episode of his podcast, saying that he has no issues with the network. However, recent negotiations over his contract had come up short, leading to the departure.
Before leaving, Bongino had hosted a weekly Saturday show on Fox News called “Unfiltered,” while he also had a show called “Canceled in the USA” on Fox Nation. The final episode of Bongino’s Saturday night show aired on April 15.
“The show ending last week was tough. It’s not some big conspiracy theory, I promise you. There’s no acrimony,” Bongino said Thursday. “We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension. That’s really it.” He added: “I really enjoyed myself there. They were good for me for ten years.”
“It’s a sad day. They did give me the opportunity to do one last show, I don’t want you to think they showed me the door,” he continued to say. “That’s on me, not on them, but I thought it was best to go this way for now.”
During the podcast episode, he said that his departure was not due to the recent lawsuit that Fox News had just settled earlier this week. But Bongino added that his Saturday show was among the highest-rated programs in that time slot.
“We were the number one show 90 percent of the time,” Bongino told his listeners Thursday. “We had a great team,” he said, adding: “This wasn’t some WWE brawl that happened. We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension.”
Describing his tenure at Fox, the network “allowed [him] to do a show called ‘Unfiltered,’ did what we wanted to do over there and covered the topics we wanted to cover,” he added. “And it’s a sad day. It’s a sad day.”
In a statement to news outlets, Fox News said, “We thank Dan for his contributions and wish him success in his future endeavors.” The company did not explain why it was parting ways with Bongino, who was a former New York City Police Department official and U.S. Secret Service agent before entering the media business.
In 2006, Bongino joined the Presidential Protective Division of former President George W. Bush’s administration. He also served on the team that provided protection to former President Barack Obama.
Fox will now air “Lawrence Jones Cross Country” in place of Bongino’s program starting this Saturday. A new schedule will be announced in the “coming weeks,” said the statement, issued to Forbes magazine.
Fox News has not responded to a request for comment.
From The Epoch Times