Sean Spicer Abruptly Exits Newsmax After Contract Negotiations Fall Apart: Sources
Apr. 7 2023, Published 6:10 p.m. ET
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer will no longer serve as an anchor for Newsmax after contract negotiations fell apart, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Spicer, 51, announced his departure from his anchor spot in a video posted to Twitter, which also included a teaser about his next career move.
"After three-plus amazing years of Spicer & Co., I’m leaving Newsmax to embark on a new project," Spicer began his video announcement.
"The 2024 election cycle will be in full swing before we know it, and I want to give you a front-row seat to what’s happening," the ex-Trump press secretary added.
Spicer then teased that he was "excited" to "bring you the most important stories and guests" as he promised to continue his efforts to "expose the false narratives and the hypocrisy the mainstream media is pushing."
While Spicer baited his followers with new content to come, a source revealed details on the reason for his exit.
A source close to the situation told Mediaite that Spicer will host his final show for Newsmax on Thursday after contract negotiations with the network fell through.
Spicer joined the conservative news network in 2020 with the debut of his show, Spicer & Co., which he led alongside co-host Lyndsay Keith for Newsmax's 6 PM slot.
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After the network acquired veteran Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren, Spicer and Keith were bumped an hour ahead for a 5 PM broadcast.
Prior to his TV news career, Spicer was the first of many press secretaries for the Trump administration.
Spicer's alleged failed contract agreements appeared to hint at the network's bigger issue of ratings.
The Wall Street Journal reported ratings for the network fall far behind competitors like Fox, as well as liberal-leaning networks like CNN and MSNBC.
Newsmax averaged about 111,000 viewers for its primetime hours and only 93,000 views for a total day average in mid-March.
On top of low numbers, the network was briefly dropped from DirectTV.
Newsmax and DirectTV sparred over distribution fees, but were eventually able to come to an agreement — and the network was restored to DirectTV's catalog at the end of March.