Fox News host Shep Smith, one of the few voices on the network occasionally willing to buck the Trump message, announced at the end of his show Friday that he’s stepping down from his job.
“Recently I asked the company to allow me to leave Fox News,” Smith said. “After requesting that I stay, they obliged. Under our agreement I won’t be reporting elsewhere, at least in the near future.”
Shep Smith announces he's leaving Fox News pic.twitter.com/SwK2SWY64g
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 11, 2019
As his show ended and the camera opened on Neil Cavuto, host of the following show “Your World,” Cavuto sat shocked. After an astonished pause, he said that he was “stunned” and “heartbroken,” calling Smith a “decent human being” with a heart “big as Texas.”
“Shepherd, I don’t know what the heck you are planning to do or where you will go but I just know you will be great at doing it and you deserve the best that life has to offer,” Cavuto said emotionally. “I’m sorry if I’m a little shell-shocked here but I’m going to miss my buddy.”
Cavuto’s first guest on the show, chief White House correspondent John Roberts, also expressed bafflement, saying he felt like he got hit by a “subway train.”
The exact reason for Smith’s ouster is unclear, but Attorney General William Barr met with Fox Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch Wednesday night as President Donald Trump has been ramping up his criticism of the network.
Neil Cavuto and John Roberts clearly blind-sided by Shep Smith departure pic.twitter.com/36ijhC8th6
— Nicole Lafond (@Nicole_Lafond) October 11, 2019
Read the network’s statement here via a Daily Beast reporter:
Here’s the release pic.twitter.com/vA7seKodZM
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) October 11, 2019
Wow! Sheppard Smith was one of one and a half journalists in the FOX news building. The ½ being Wallace. Two ways of reading this (1) the propaganda side has won, and FOX will stay all Trump lies, all the time, or (2) he just got fed up with the B.S. and propaganda, and got out while the gett’n was good.
But hard to miss the fact that Bill Barr had dinner with Moscow Murdoch the other day, and now Sheppard Smith is leaving. Certainly is a canary in the shit show of FOX, and despite the optimistic view of some that Ryan’s board membership would change things, it looks to me like Murdoch has decided to go full on Völkischer Beobachter
P.s. (added later) I think it is very possible that the actual result is the combo of (1) and (2). Smith recently had well publicized fights over Judge Napolitano’s analysis, and it was reported that he was told to tone it down. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/09/madness-at-fox-news-as-trump-faces-impeachment-lachlan-murdoch
I seriously doubt that Murdoch wants the hit that Smith leaving will cause to FOX’s already dismal credibility. It is very possible that Smith demanded that the lies be pulled back some, and was told no, then quit. I seriously doubt that Murdoch decided to Fire him at Barr’s request. Too much damage to the brand. My guess is that Murdoch wanted to keep things just as they were (a few fig leafs on the propaganda network) and Smith was not willing to go along.
Ok, now this Friday is complete. Unless they take in Ghoulsie.
Barr met Murdoch a couple of days ago.
Hmm, Barr meets with Murdoch, Trump is pissed that FOX isn’t carrying kissing his ass anymore and now Shep Smith is gone.
Best of luck. Enjoyed his reporting.