Neil Cavuto, veteran Fox News business anchor, leaving the network after 28 years

NEW YORK (AP) – Neil Cavuto, a business journalist at Fox News Channel whose weekday afternoon news show frequently annoyed President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters, left the network after 28 years following a final show on Thursday.

A workhorse who had been with Fox since its inception in 1996, Cavuto also hosted programs at Fox’s sister, the Fox Business Network, and was not considered one of the stable of opinion hosts.

His final show briskly moved through a succession of news stories, including the potential for a government funding deal, stock market fluctuations and a strike by Amazon workers. He addressed his exit at the end, thanking Fox for his years on the network but saying “I’m not leaving journalism. I’m just leaving here.”

“I got to do what I love here — report the news, not shout the news, not blast the news,” he said, adding that his goal was to “tell truth to power and fairness to all. That’s me.”

He thanked viewers while noting the ones who wrote to suggest he do things “that I think were anatomically impossible to do.”

Fox said in a statement: “Neil Cavuto’s illustrious career has been a master class in journalism and we’re extremely proud of his incredible 28-year run with Fox News Media. His programs have defined business news and set the standard for the entire industry. We wish him a heartfelt farewell and all the best on his next chapter.”

Unlike many at Fox, he has not interviewed President-elect Donald Trump since 2017 and sometimes has angered him. One time came when Cavuto said on his show in September that Trump had “decisively lost” his debate with Democrat Kamala Harris.

Cavuto remarked this summer that when the stock market goes up, Trump says it is because of investors looking forward to him being back in power, but when it’s down, he blames the Democrats.

On social media Thursday, Trump used all-caps to say Cavuto’s departure is “GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA.” He said it “should have happened a long time ago.”

While Cavuto’s exit removes a Trump irritant from Fox just before the president-elect returns to office, that fact had nothing to do with it, said a person at the network with knowledge of the discussions but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about contracts. Cavuto’s contract was coming to an end and while he was offered an extension, he decided to leave, the person said. Cavuto confirmed the offer, while not explaining his reasons for exiting.

With the television news business hurting financially, some major personalities have reportedly been asked to take pay cuts. Some, like the “Today” show’s Hoda Kotb, decided to leave instead.

Even before Cavuto addressed his exit, each of the guests on his final show saluted him. Reporter Aishah Hasnie called him a hero, and billionaire investor Ken Fisher said, “If you need any help, you will always have a friend in me.”

“You call balls and strikes,” said Bob Cusack, editor-in-chief of The Hill. “You’re not a yes man.”

Cavuto, 66, has stayed on the job despite a number of health issues through the years. He has multiple sclerosis, underwent heart surgery and had bouts of long COVID. One fellow Fox personality, Janice Dean, said on social media that when she was diagnosed with MS, Cavuto “gave me hope that I could still pursue my dreams.”

There’s no immediate word on who will replace Cavuto at 4 p.m. Eastern on Fox’s schedule, a coveted slot before the network’s most popular show, “The Five.”

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