Shepard Smith Steps Down From Fox News

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Shepard Smith is stepping down from Fox News, effective with Friday afternoon’s edition of Shepard Smith Reporting.

The anchor has been a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s attacks, after Smith had been critical of the president at certain points in his administration. Smith’s departure also comes just hours after Attorney General Bill Barr met with FNC owner Rupert Murdoch at the media mogul’s NYC residence.

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Most recently, Smith has been calling out claims that Trump has made against Joe Biden as so far “proven baseless,” even as they have been echoed on shows like Hannity and The Ingraham Angle.

On Thursday, Trump complained that Fox News “doesn’t deliver for US anymore. It is so different than it used to be. He cited Smith along with other news personalities and the recent Fox News poll, which showed that public support for his impeachment was at 51%.

Citing talking “truth to power,” Smith addressed the move just now at the end of his show on Friday.

“Recently I asked the company to allow me to leave Fox News. After requesting that I stay, the obliged. Under our agreement I won’t be reporting elsewhere, at least in the near future.”

He said that he will be “able to see more of Gio and Lucia, and our friends and family, and we will see what comes along.” Smith’s boyfriend is Gio Graziano.

“Even in our currently polarized nation, it is my hopes that the facts will win the day, and that the truth will always matter, that journalism and journalists will always thrive.”

In a statement, he said, “I’ve worked with the most talented, dedicated and focused professionals I know and I’m proud to have anchored their work each day — I will deeply miss them.”

Jay Wallace, the president and executive editor of Fox News Media, said, “Shep is one of the premier newscasters of his generation and his extraordinary body of work is among the finest journalism in the industry.”

Dominic Patten contributed to this report.

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