What To Know
- Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo has received over $70 million since joining the network in 2014, as revealed in documents from the Smartmatic defamation lawsuit.
- The lawsuit alleges Fox News, Bartiromo, and others spread false claims about the 2020 election and voting machines.
- Bartiromo faced criticism for conducting softball interviews with Donald Trump, during which he made unproven claims of election fraud.
Fox News is in the middle of a lawsuit, which has brought to light some interesting behind-the-scenes details, including how the network has paid news anchor Maria Bartiromo a massive $70 million since 2014.
The revelation came in documents disclosed as part of Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News. The files, obtained by TheWrap, include transcriptions of the deposition in which Bartiromo, a defendant in the suit, was asked about her salary.
“And so is it fair to say that you, from when you first started working at Fox through sort of the upcoming contract in 2025, you would have stood to be compensated over $70 million?” Bartiromo was asked during the deposition.
She answered, “Yes.”
In comparison, fellow Fox News anchor Sean Hannity reportedly makes $25 million per year, according to CelebrityNetWorth, while Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld reportedly make $5 million and $9 million per year, respectively.
Bartiromo joined Fox Business and Fox News in 2014 following two decades at CNBC. Serving as a financial reporter and news anchor, Bartiromo became known for her softball interviews with President Donald Trump, including his first interview after he lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden.
During the interview, Trump claimed the 2020 election was “rigged” and that “fraud” took place, alleging that voting machines had “glitches” and made changes, including transferring Trump votes to Biden.
Smartmatic, one of the companies behind these voting machines, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2021, alleging that the network spread false claims about the election that damaged its reputation.
Trump’s voter fraud claims were never proven.
At the time, Bartiromo was slammed by critics for failing to push back on Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.
In addition to Fox and Bartiromo, Smarmatic names former Fox News host and current United States attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro as a defendant, alongside former Fox News anchor Lou Dobbs and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.