Dan Bongino says he's leaving Fox News; 'Unfiltered' host cites failed contract talks

Fox News host Dan Bongino is leaving the network after the conservative commentator said he and the outlet could not come to terms on a new contract.

“Folks, regretfully, last week was my last show on Fox News,” Bongino said Thursday on his podcast. “It’s tough. It’s tough to say that. You know, I’ve been there doing hits and working there for 10 years … so the show ending was tough."

Bongino hosted the Saturday night show “Unfiltered” and said while he was given the chance to do a last show this weekend, he decided against it.

"I want you to know it’s not some big conspiracy," the former New York City Police Department officer said on his podcast. "I promise you. There’s no acrimony. This wasn’t some WWE brawl that happened. We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension."

“We thank Dan for his contributions and wish him success in his future endeavors,” Fox said in a statement released to USA TODAY on Friday.

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Bongino, an author, was also served as a Secret Service agent from 1999 to 2011 and ran for Congress unsuccessfully as a Republican three times.

'Canceled in the USA' also ends

His “Canceled in the USA” program on Fox Nation will also end, and the streaming service will no longer air his daily radio show. Bongino may still appear as a guest on Fox shows, the network said.Bongino's YouTube ban

Last year, YouTube permanently banned Bongino. The popular video service run by Google said Bongino tried to circumvent a one-week ban for spreading COVID-19 misinformation on one channel by posting on another channel, resulting in a permanent suspension.

Previously:Fox News host Dan Bongino permanently banned from Google's YouTube

Exit comes days after Fox lawsuit settlement

His announcement comes on the heels of Fox Corp. agreeing to settle a defamation lawsuit filed against the network over its broadcast of the 2020 presidential election.

The network and Dominion Voting Systems agreed to a $787.5 million settlement Tuesday just as attorneys were set to outline their case to jurors ahead of testimony in what has been the most closely watched media trial in decades. 

Fox News reaches settlement:Fox News and Dominion reach $787.5M settlement just before defamation trial was set to begin

Dominion sued Fox News and its parent corporation in 2021, claiming the network knowingly broadcast lies being perpetuated by former President Donald Trump and his attorneys as he clung to power in the months after his 2020 election loss. Details of the settlement were not immediately available.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.