Fox Business abruptly cancels Lou Dobbs’ performance after Smartmatic lawsuit.

Fox Business has decided it no longer wants to broadcast the highest rated show. And that made the cancellation with little warning when he announced Friday that Lou Dobbs will no longer have his weekly show from next week, with a larger audience than his CNBC rival. Dobbs, one of former President Donald Trump’s strongest supporters in the media, spent a lot of time on his program to tell the lie of the election, which is still popular among some allies of the previous government. Although many have begun to show their language, Dobbs is attacking Republican Party leaders for their lack of support for Trump.

Dobbs did not get the chance to say goodbye to his viewers on air when Fox News Media made the announcement Friday when a host filled out for him. Dobbs is still under contract with Fox News and although he has appeared on Fox News occasionally, he is unlikely to appear on the company’s networks again, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Dobbs’ performance, Lou Dobbs Tonight, was broadcast twice every night at 17:00 and 19:00 Eastern. From next week the program will be presented Fox Business Tonight. Dobbs’ performance was canceled a day after election technology company Smartmatic filed a defamation suit against Fox Corporation and Fox News, claiming damages of at least $ 2.7 billion. The lawsuit specifically names Dobbs along with two other Fox anchors, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, and accuses them of spreading lies about the company’s role in the election. According to the lawsuit, Dobbs was “one of the main proponents” of “disinformation campaign” against Smartmatic.

Despite the timing, network sources told several outlets that the network had already planned to cancel Dobbs before the lawsuit. Officially, Fox News says it stands by its coverage and will defend itself against the lawsuit. “As we said in October, Fox News Media is regularly considering the changes in programming and there are plans to introduce new formats after the election, also on Fox Business,” a spokesman said in a statement. “It’s part of the planned changes.” Although he had a highly acclaimed show, it was difficult to address advertisers because companies did not want to be associated with the far-right view that Dobbs espoused in his show. The lack of advertisers was also a reason for Dobbs’ performance, according to CNN.

Shortly after the news of Dobbs’ cancellation became known, Trump expressed his support in one of the first statements he has made since leaving the White House. “Lou Dobbs is and was wonderful,” Trump said. “No one loves America more than Lou. He had a big and loyal following who will be watching closely for his next move, and the next one includes me. ‘Dobbs thank Trump for his support and tweeted again several allies who criticized Fox for the cancellation.