After 23 years as one of the most prominent on air personalities at the Fox News channel, left wing program host Shepard Smith made the surprise announcement at the end of his program Shepard Smith Reporting on Friday afternoon that he is leaving the channel immediately (Fox News video here). Only minutes before, Fox News Media Relations emailed a news release to journalists, including this one, titled “Shepard Smith to Step Down from FOX News.” The release was attributed to an unusually high level source at the channel, Irena Briganti, the Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications for Fox News and Fox Business Network. Like Smith, Briganti has been with Fox News since it launched in 1996.
Shepard Smith announces that he’s leaving Fox News 3:58 PM ET Oct. 11, 2019
Screen grab by Peter Barry Chowka
The news about Smith’s sudden exit stunned almost everyone, including Fox News host Neil Cavuto, whose live program immediately followed Smith’s on-air announcement. As the Washington Examiner transcribed it:
Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto appeared momentarily stunned at the beginning of his show after hearing that his colleague Shepard Smith’s last day at the network was Friday. . .
“Woah. I’m Neil Cavuto and like you, I’m a little stunned and a little heartbroken. I don’t know what to say. Shepard Smith, as I said, just a few days ago on this very network, a decent human being, a heart as big as Texas. I didn’t say Texas at the time, maybe just all of Manhattan. Wow. I don't know. . . A better newsman, you probably cannot find.