Fox News Media, the parent division of Fox Business and Fox News
FOX,
+3.34%,
said in a statement that Mr. Dobbs’s departure is part of an earlier plan to change the network’s programming. Attempts to reach Lou Dobbs were unsuccessful.
Mr. Dobbs’s 5 p.m. ET time slot on Fox Business will be replaced by “Fox Business Tonight,” an interim show helmed by hosts Jackie DeAngelis and David Asman on alternating days, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Fox News on Thursday was sued by voting-machine company Smartmatic USA Corp.,
which alleged the network aired defamatory comments about the company’s products following the presidential election. The lawsuit also mentioned remarks made about Smartmatic by Fox News Media anchors including Mr. Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo.
Fox called the lawsuit meritless and said it was proud of its 2020 election coverage. It said it would vigorously defend the lawsuit in court. Fox Corp. and The Wall Street Journal parent News Corp share common ownership.
While Mr. Dobbs, 75 years old, isn’t expected to continue appearing on Fox Business, he still has months left to go in his contract with the network, according to another person familiar with the matter.
In December, after Smartmatic sent a letter to Fox News threatening a defamation lawsuit, the news division aired segments to clarify facts related to the voting-machine company. Mr. Dobbs hosted one of the segments on his show featuring voting-technology expert Edward Perez, who pushed back on claims that Smartmatic software was used to meddle in the voting process.
An expanded version of this story appears on WSJ.com
