A long-time fixture of the Fox Business Network and Fox News personality Lou Dobbs has had his show canceled.
The Los Angeles Times reported the news on Friday night. The Times reported the news:
Dobbs’ program, which airs twice nightly at 5 and 7 p.m. Eastern on the Fox Business Network, will have its final airing Friday, according to a Fox News representative who confirmed the cancellation. Starting next week, the program will be called “Fox Business Tonight,” with rotating substitute hosts Jackie DeAngelis and David Asman, who filled in for Dobbs on Friday.
Dobbs, 75, remains under contract at Fox News but he will in all likelihood not appear on the company’s networks again. In addition to his Fox Business Network program, he occasionally turned up on the Fox News Channel as a commentator.
The cancellation comes a day after voting software company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News and three of its hosts — Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. The company claims the hosts perpetuated lies and disinformation about Smartmatic’s role in the election, damaging its business and reputation.
The network has issued a statement about the cancellation of Dobbs’ show.
“As we said in October, Fox News Media regularly considers programming changes and plans have been in place to launch new formats as appropriate post-election, including on Fox Business,” the representative said. “This is part of those planned changes. A new 5 p.m. program will be announced in the near future.”
Fox News has made a number of programming shake-ups since the 2020 election. As the network announced in early January:
Fox News Channel announced a new programming lineup on Monday that includes Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino teaming up for a relaunched “America’s Newsroom,” with John Roberts moving from the White House beat to the anchor desk and a new opinion program at 7 p.m. EST.
“Lou Dobbs Tonight” is yet the latest programming change for a network that has undergone numerous changes of late.
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