Conservative commentator Dan Bongino is sharing details about what led him to part ways with Fox News.
During an interview with journalist Megyn Kelly that aired on Friday, Bongino discussed Fox News and its decision to abruptly fire host Tucker Carlson.
He argued the network should explain the move because “I think a lot of people think this may be some kind of anti-Trump thing.”
And that led him to speak about his own departure as he said, “I gotta say — that wasn’t my case.”
“My deal with Fox, I haven’t told this story anywhere else… I was not targeted. My show, they were dying to re-up, we negotiated for an entire year. So I can’t tell you like, ‘Oh, Fox got rid of me,’ because they didn’t. The liberal jerk wads are gonna go, ‘Oh Dan Bongino was fired.’ I just give them the middle finger. It’s just stupid,” he continued.
Watch the video below:
Bongino shared he had a different vision for his weekend show on the network than the executives there did:
“They wanted the show. I just had a different vision for my role at the network and that’s OK. I’m not the Saturday guy, Megyn, I’m sorry I can’t work six days a week. I’ve got young kids and I’m not working six days a week. And even though we recorded the show on Friday, you know, the inside baseball of Fox, what happens when there’s breaking news? Which, with Trump out there is all the time — you gotta be on.”
He went on to stress he found it difficult that the network could call him when he was supposed to have a day off to cover breaking news, “It’s hard. So I couldn’t do it. And I said, ‘I’m sorry, that’s not gonna work out.’ So I definitely was not fired. Liberals are just making that up.”
Finally, Bongino noted his other business and media ventures he has outside of Fox as he said “money buys freedom.”
“I was in a position with them where I could walk away from a show on Fox and say, ‘I’m sorry, that’s not my vision.’ And it’s different. But someone told me later that, you know, in the end, they weren’t that eager the last few weeks to make this thing work because, ‘you could be a little aggravating to work with’ and they’re not wrong, and that’s OK,” he added.
Kelly suggested the network may be regretting letting Bongino go as she argued he could have filled in the 8 p.m. time slot and helped the network retain its viewers.
In April, Bongino informed listeners of his podcast that his weekend show “Unfiltered with Dan Bongino” and his show on the streaming service Fox Nation “Canceled in the USA” had ended.
“It’s not some big conspiracy theory, I promise you. There’s no acrimony… We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension. That’s really it,” he said at the time.
He added, “I really enjoyed myself there. They were good for me for ten years…It’s a sad day. They did give me the opportunity to do one last show, I don’t want you to think they showed me the door. That’s on me, not on them, but I thought it was best to go this way for now.”
Days after his revelation, the network shared it was parting ways with Carlson.