Fox News has tapped a former top Trump administration official and fan of the president to take over “Sunday Morning Futures” temporarily after Maria Bartiromo vanished from its airwaves.
Longtime Fox Business Network anchor Larry Kudlow will begin hosting the Sunday program at 10 a.m., bringing another prominent conservative business voice to the network.
His interim assignment is scheduled to continue through the weekend after the November 8 midterm elections.
Fox News Channel says it will announce a permanent host at a later date.
The move places a familiar Fox Business personality in a program long associated with Bartiromo’s political interviews.
Kudlow joined Fox Business Network in 2021 after serving as President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser.
He had spent years at CNBC, where his commentary paired Wall Street analysis with his views on economic policy.
His career also included senior roles in finance and advice to officials across multiple Republican administrations.
Kudlow counseled President Ronald Reagan and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman on economic matters.
At CNBC, he frequently appeared alongside Jim Cramer, the former hedge fund manager who became a television fixture.
On Fox Business, Kudlow built his own afternoon program into the network’s most-watched show.
Its guests have included Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Elon Musk and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
That roster gives him experience questioning the political and business figures likely to shape Sunday’s conversations.
Bartiromo had built “Sunday Morning Futures” around interviews linking Washington’s decisions with markets and the broader economy.
The program became a regular venue for Republican lawmakers, administration officials and conservative policy debates.
Her absence from Fox properties has drawn attention since her final appearance on “Mornings with Maria” on August 9.
She has not been seen on Fox News or Fox Business since that broadcast, according to Variety.
An attorney for Bartiromo, Bryan Freedman, has said she remains employed by Fox News Media.
That statement leaves her employment status distinct from the decision to replace her on the Sunday show.
Fox has not announced where Bartiromo might appear next or when she could return to the air.
The handoff follows weeks of speculation about Bartiromo’s absence, although Fox has not publicly detailed the circumstances behind it.
Variety reported an unnamed source believes Bartiromo shared a confidential Fox Business directive with the White House.
The reported directive involved guidance to executive producers concerning coverage of public remarks by Trump.
The account remains an allegation attributed to an unnamed source, rather than a publicly established finding against Bartiromo.
Neither that report nor her absence establishes that she was fired by Fox News Media.
For viewers, the confirmed change is straightforward: Kudlow will occupy her longtime Sunday time slot for now.
The network’s eventual choice of a permanent host remains open after the November election weekend.
Kudlow brings a background in economic policy from his years inside and outside government.
He served as director of the National Economic Council during Trump’s first administration before moving to Fox Business.
His television career has centered on tax policy, spending, regulation, markets and the effects of Washington’s choices.
Those subjects are familiar territory for a program built to examine the intersection of politics and business.
In a 2021 interview with Variety, Kudlow emphasized letting Americans keep control of their earnings.
“I like people to be able to spend their own money,” he told the publication.
He added that he wanted people to have as much freedom as possible.
That economic outlook has remained a defining element of his commentary and interviews.
His temporary Sunday appointment also gives Fox a recognizable host during the final weeks of the midterm campaign.
Candidates and elected officials will be seeking television audiences as voters decide control of Congress.
After the elections, the network will have another weekend of Kudlow before his announced interim run ends, Variety reported.
Fox has given no public timetable for naming the person who will follow him permanently.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
