Dan Bongino plays down abrupt exit from Fox News: ‘This wasn’t some WWE brawl that happened’

The former Secret Service agent says he couldn’t come to terms with the network on a new contract

Dan Bongino, the former US Secret Service agent who made a name for himself as one of Fox News’ most outspoken personalities, is leaving the network.

Bongino had been hosting a Saturday night programme on Fox News called Unfiltered with Dan Bongino. The last episode of that show aired last Saturday, April 15. Bongino’s departure, the result of failed contract negociations, was first reported by Forbes.

“Folks, regretfully, last week was my last show on Fox News on the Fox News Channel,” Bongino said on his podcast Thursday. “It’s tough. It’s tough to say that. You know, I’ve been there doing hits and working there for ten years…so the show ending was tough. And I want you to know it’s not some big conspiracy. I promise you. There’s no acrimony. This wasn’t some WWE brawl that happened. We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension.”

Fox News was brief in its own statement.

“We thank Dan for his contributions and wish him success in his future endeavors,” the network said.

During his tenure at the network, Bongino made headlines as an especially ardent defender of former President Donald Trump. He also boosted a number of conspiracy theories on air and cast doubts on the legitimacy of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Bongino’s departure comes as Fox Corp, Fox News’ parent company, has agreed to pay $787.5m to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a lawsuit brought by Dominion over the network’s allegedly defamatory coverage of its voting machines during the last presidential election.

To replace Bongino on Saturday nights, Fox News has said it will temporarily air Lawrence Jones Cross Country. The network plans to unveil a new schedule in the coming weeks. Bongino’s Westwood One radio programme, which has been simulcast on the Fox Nation streaming service, will no longer appear on the Fox platform either.

Prior to his work with the Secret Service, Bongino, a native of Queens, served as a New York City police officer. He has made three unsuccessful runs for Congress, losing a campaign for the US Senate in Maryland in 2012 and losing campaigns for the US House in Maryland in 2014 and Florida in 2016.

“I really enjoyed myself there and you know they were good to me for ten years,” Bognino said on his podcast. “I mean, they allowed me to do a show called Unfiltered, did what we wanted to do over there and covered the topics we wanted to cover. And it’s a sad day. It’s a sad day.”