Maria Bartiromo Citigroup scandal allegations resurface after Fox Business 'firing'

Hannah Furnell Fri, September 4, 2026 at 10:24 PM UTC

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Allegations centered on Maria Bartiromo's prior Citigroup scandal have resurfaced following her recent firing from Fox Business.

On Thursday, September 3, Fox Business announced Bartiromo's departure in a statement titled, "Fox News Media Parts Ways With Maria Bartiromo." The network's press release thanked Bartiromo "for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wished her all the best on her next chapter." Fox Business later removed the Trump supporter's biography from its website.

Now, in the wake of her unexpected exit, Bartiromo's life and career are being scrutinized. One person on X has claimed, "Don't forget. Maria Bartiromo cheated on her husband with Citigroup ex-head Todd Thomson."

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The social media user's allegations have never been proven, but a 2007 NBC News report addressed questions regarding Bartiromo, then a CNBC anchor, and her professional relationship with Thomson, the former high-ranking executive at Citigroup.

Bartiromo has been married to Jonathan Steinberg, the son of billionaire financier Saul Steinberg, since 1999. Steinberg is the CEO of asset management firm WisdomTree Investment. The couple does not have any children together.

There are allegations that former Fox star Maria Bartiromo cheated on her husband with Citigroup ex-head Todd Thomson (Image: Getty)

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On January 22, 2007, Citigroup announced that Thomson was stepping down as CFO. The NBC report cited sources who claimed Thomson had a "relationship" with Bartiromo, then a CNBC anchor and BusinessWeek columnist, which appeared to "go beyond the merely professional."

Bartiromo and Thomson's trip on a company jet from China to the U.S. was also noted in the report at the time. It also claimed that while Bartiromo never publicly commented on the matter, she privately told friends and colleagues that all she did was "completely proper and CNBC business."

Another source told NBC News that the pair's alleged use of corporate resources was what made Citigroup ask Thomson to leave.

Citigroup also allegedly scrutinized a $5 million sponsorship deal that Thomson orchestrated for a television show featuring Bartiromo, as well as other luxurious office expenses.

Bartiromo, who had hosted Mornings with Maria Bartiromo and Sunday Morning Futures and had been with the network for 20 years, was abruptly fired shortly after airing the final episode of her daily morning show on Fox Business. Her executive producer, Patrick Ignozzi, was also axed from the network.

According to Status, she had leaked texts to the White House about a directive from higher-ups not to promote President Donald Trump's election conspiracies on the air.

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Maria Bartiromo was let go from Fox Business on September 3 (Image: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The publication reports that the incident occurred in July following Trump's primetime address to the country, where he claimed China had interfered in the 2020 presidential election.

Fox News had allegedly issued written instructions to senior employees to steer coverage of Trump's address away from the false claims, which the network largely followed, despite the White House's surprise.

After Bartiromo was pressed about the lack of coverage, she allegedly revealed that her bosses had ordered the claims not to be covered. This was a violation of her employment agreement because she disclosed the network's confidential information.

It was not immediately clear whether Bartiromo was approached by a White House official or Trump himself. Fox Business Network removed Bartiromo's biography from its website just hours after her unexpected departure.

Her daily Fox Business program, Mornings With Maria, will be rebranded as Mornings with Fox Business and feature rotating anchors.

Bartiromo's Fox News Sunday program, Sunday Morning Futures, will adopt a comparable format with former Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz presenting this coming week.

Meanwhile, a source claims that her own staffers were barred from speaking with her in the weeks leading up to her exit announcement. A source told Status, "To talk to her, you had to go to management."

Maria Bartiromo allegedly leaked texts to the White House about a directive from higher-ups not to promote Donald Trump's election conspiracies on the air (Image: Getty Images)

They claimed this is how staff at the network "knew something was up." The source also suggested staff were "instructed not to talk to her." They alleged, "Even her own staff had to go through management. People were freaking out."

President Trump stated after it was announced that Bartiromo had been axed from Fox Business. Posting on Truth Social, he said, "I can't believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business."

The 80-year-old continued by praising Bartiromo as "always number one" across "three different shows." He added, "Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

Trump's son, Eric Trump, also added, "@MariaBartiromo is the best in the business and the hardest-working person in media. Smart. Kind. Principled. The best interviewer on television.

"Proud to have been with her everywhere that mattered over the past 15 years - Wall Street, Davos, Milwaukee, and every corner of the earth in between. This is a huge loss for Fox."

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”