UPDATE: Fox News Media provided the following statement regarding the cancelation of Lou Dobbs Tonight on Friday:
“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 – this is part of those planned changes. A new 5PM program will be announced in the near future.”
According to FOX News Media, an interim show, FOX Business Tonight, will begin airing at 5 p.m./e.s.t. The show will be hosted by Jackie DeAngelis on Monday and Tuesday night, and by David Asmand on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The show will reair at 7 p.m./e.s.t.
On Thursday, FOX News Media issued the following statement regarding its coverage of the 2020 presidential election in the wake of a lawsuit brought against the network by election technology firm Smartmatic:
“FOX News Media is committed to providing the full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear opinion. We are proud of our 2020 election coverage and will vigorously defend against this meritless lawsuit in court.”
ORIGINAL POST:
On Friday, Fox News canceled Lou Dobbs Tonight, the show hosted by longtime Fox personality Lou Dobbs. According to Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Battaglio, Dobbs is remaining under contract with the cable network but is unlikely to reappear on the network's programming following the last airing of Lou Dobbs Tonight on Friday.
The report comes only a day after news broke that Smartmatic, an election technology firm, is suing Dobbs and two other stars of the cable news network for alleged defamation surrounding their reporting on voting concerns raised in the 2020 election.
NPR and other left-wing voices have criticized Dobbs and the Fox News Network as a whole for covering reports of election irregularities in the 2020 election. Fox personalities Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro were also named as defendants in the suit, accused of engaging in a "disinformation campaign" against the election technology company. Dobbs remained an ardent and vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump.
Before joining Fox, Dobbs worked for CNN in 1980, when the cable network first aired. Dobbs had an on-and-off-again relationship with the network, leaving CNN in 1999 and again in November 2009. Lou Dobbs Tonight premiered on the Fox Business Network in March of 2011.
This post has been updated with new information.