Fox News Does Something It Almost Never Does — And Other Big Media Stories This Week

A simple guide to what happened, why it matters, and what else was going on in the world of news and entertainment.

1. Fox News Actually Said "Sorry" — Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

On a Friday and Saturday, something happened at Fox News that almost never happens: they apologized.

If you’ve been paying attention, you might know that Fox News paid a massive $787 million (that’s almost $800 million!) to settle a lawsuit about false claims they made during the 2020 election. Even after writing that giant check, the network had refused to say "sorry."

But this time, they did.

What Started It All

Back in May, a famous investor named Kevin O’Leary (you might know him as "Mr. Wonderful" from the TV show Shark Tank) went on Fox Business (a sister channel of Fox News) for an interview with host Maria Bartiromo.

During that interview, O’Leary wore a hat that said "Utah National Security" and made some very serious accusations. He claimed that people and groups who were against his data center project in Utah (called the Stratos Project) were secretly working for the Chinese government.

He specifically named real people and organizations:

• Party for Socialism and Liberation
• The People’s Dispatch
• Alliance for a Better Utah
• Elevate Strategies
• Gabrielle Finlayson
• Taylor Knuth
• Josh Kanter

He said these people were "proxies for the Chinese government" trying to stop America from building A.I. technology. But here’s the problem — he had no evidence. He only said his staff had done a "deep dig into IP addresses" (which is basically looking at where internet activity comes from — not proof of anything).

Kevin O’Leary Walks It Back

Then, in June, O’Leary suddenly changed his tune. He posted a statement on social media saying:

"I have no evidence that Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Gabrielle Finlayson, Taylor Knuth, or Josh Kanter are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party."

In other words — he admitted he was wrong and had no proof.

Fox News Follows Suit

Once O’Leary admitted he had no evidence, Fox News was stuck in a really uncomfortable position. They had aired those accusations, and now the person who made them was saying they weren’t true.

So Maria Bartiromo interrupted her own show to correct what was said on air. She said Fox News was also aware of no evidence that the named people or groups were connected to China, and then she said the magic words:

"Fox News Media apologizes for the error."

Other Fox News and Fox Business shows did the same thing over that weekend, including:

• "The Big Weekend Show"
• "Saturday in America"
• "The Big Money Show"

Important Point: Even though this was an apology, nobody at Fox actually used the word "apologize" on air. They said things like "we apologize for the error" in a very careful, legal way. This is common when lawyers are involved — the words are chosen very precisely.

Why Did They Do It?

Nobody knows for sure what really pushed Fox to apologize, but experts think a legal threat was probably involved. Once O’Leary publicly said he had no evidence, Fox could have been sued by the people he named if they didn’t correct the record.

A spokesperson for Fox declined to comment further, but people familiar with the situation said no money changed hands — meaning Fox didn’t pay anyone to settle. They just apologized on air.

Important Point: This is a big deal because Fox News almost never apologizes. The fact that they did — even after paying $787 million in the Dominion settlement without apologizing — shows how much more careful they’re being now about guests who make claims without evidence.

How Did the Accused People React?

The people O’Leary named didn’t stay quiet. Gabrielle Finlayson and Jackie Morgan, who co-founded Elevate Strategies, told Business Insider:

"The only foreign operative here is a Canadian wealthy person trying to ruin our state."

They also made fun of O’Leary on TikTok, joking about his outfit (he wore flip-flops with a suit) and even selling their own hats that played off his "Utah National Security" hat, saying: "Please support us, because we might need lawyers."

2. Other Big Media and Entertainment News This Week

A lot of other things happened in the world of media, TV, and movies. Here’s a quick rundown:

CNN and Bari Weiss

• Mark Thompson, the head of CNN, has reportedly told people at Paramount (which is planning to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery) that he would not be willing to share control of CNN with another executive. This comes amid speculation about Bari Weiss (a controversial journalist) potentially having a role at the network.
• Anderson Cooper (the famous CNN anchor) has reportedly told colleagues he does not want to work for Bari Weiss. He recently left 60 Minutes at CBS News because he was reportedly uncomfortable with the network’s rightward shift under Weiss’s leadership.

California Attorney General Gets Involved

• Rob Bonta, the Attorney General of California, didn’t directly say he wants CNN separated from the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, but he told reporter Jacob Soboroff that his office is "investigating" and will make a decision in the coming weeks. He said: "There are red flags in the air everywhere."

Trump vs. Journalists

• Donald Trump went on a late-night rant on Truth Social attacking journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, calling their book "Regime Change" "Fake News" and "largely fiction" — even though they interviewed Trump himself for the book.

Reporter’s On-Air Blunder

• Abigail Velez, a reporter for KABC-TV, went viral after saying on air: "I don’t know the first thing about Bosnia" and couldn’t find it on a map — right before the U.S. was set to play Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup. She later apologized.

Trump’s State Fair Flopped

• Trump’s Great American State Fair had low attendance, bad weather, and lots of technical problems. Even a performance by Vanilla Ice was canceled because of "inclement weather."

Elon Musk Posts Banned Film

• Elon Musk posted a link to Armie Hammer’s film "Citizen Vigilante" on X (formerly Twitter). The film is banned in Germany, and the link went dark after about 48 hours.

Disney’s New CEO

• Josh D’Amaro, the new CEO of Disney, emphasized his focus on digital strategy and sports rights during his first 100 days. He’s also reportedly pushing back against Brendan Carr’s FCC (the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates TV and radio).

The Onion Buys Infowars

• Ben Collins (a journalist) wrote about how The Onion (a famous satire website) plans to turn Infowars (a conspiracy theory website) into a parody site. The article described Infowars as a culture of "grifters and weirdos."

TikTok Removes News Videos

• Hunter Walker, Derick Dirmaier, and Allegra Kirkland reported that TikTok has been taking down videos from news creators, making it harder for journalists to share news on the platform.

Anchor Leaves MS NOW

• Alex Witt was praised by colleagues and guests after announcing she would be leaving MS NOW.

Bill Maher Wins Mark Twain Prize

• The Kennedy Center name was back on the red carpet as Bill Maher received the Mark Twain Prize on Sunday, though the facade of the building remained covered.

Amazon Renews a Show

• Amazon renewed the young adult series "Every Year After" for another season.

Mel Brooks Turns 100

• Comedy legend Mel Brooks received a wave of tributes as he turned 100 years old on Sunday.

3. At the Movies: Box Office Report

Here’s what happened at the box office this past weekend:

Important Point: Overall, the domestic box office is running about 15% ahead of where it was in 2025, which is good news for movie theaters.

4. The "Power Lines" Podcast

The latest episode of the "Power Lines" podcast is out! In this week’s episode, the hosts discuss:

• The historic low ratings of Gayle King’s "CBS Mornings" under Bari Weiss
• Tony Dokoupil (anchor of "Evening News") trying to establish independence from CBS News and Paramount leadership
• How Mark Zuckerberg avoided tough questions in a rare interview
• Tucker Carlson going nuclear on Donald Trump by calling him a "bitch"
• A message for Joe Rogan, who read a Status story on his show

Summary

Here’s the big picture from this week:

1. Fox News did something extremely rare — they apologized on air after Kevin O’Leary admitted he had no evidence for his claims that Utah data center opponents were connected to China. This is notable because Fox almost never apologizes, even after paying $787 million in the Dominion settlement.

2. The apology was likely driven by legal concerns, not just good intentions. Once O’Leary walked back his claims, Fox was at risk of being sued by the people he named.

3. CNN is in the middle of major changes, with its CEO refusing to share control and Anderson Cooper reportedly not wanting to work under Bari Weiss.

4. The box office had mixed results — "Supergirl" and "Jackass" flopped, but "Toy Story 5" and "Michael" are doing great.

5. Lots of other media drama — from Trump attacking journalists, to a reporter not knowing where Bosnia is, to The Onion buying Infowars.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why is Fox News apologizing considered such a big deal?

Fox News almost never apologizes on air. Even after paying $787 million to settle the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit about false 2020 election claims, they refused to say sorry. This apology — even though it was carefully worded — shows the network is being more cautious about guests making unsupported claims.

Q2: Who is Kevin O’Leary and what did he do?

Kevin O’Leary is a famous investor known as "Mr. Wonderful" from the TV show Shark Tank. In May, he appeared on Fox Business and accused real people and organizations of secretly working for the Chinese government to stop his data center project in Utah. He had no evidence for these claims and later admitted it publicly.

Q3: What is the Stratos Project?

The Stratos Project is Kevin O’Leary’s controversial data center project in Utah. Data centers are large facilities filled with computers that store and process information (like for A.I. technology). Some local groups opposed the project, and O’Leary claimed — without evidence — that they were secretly funded by China.

Q4: Did Fox News pay anyone money as part of this apology?

No. According to people familiar with the situation, no money changed hands. Fox News simply corrected the record and apologized on air. This was different from the Dominion settlement, where they paid $787 million.

Q5: What happened with "Supergirl" at the box office?

"Supergirl" was a major flop, earning only about $38 million domestically in its opening weekend — far below expectations. This is a problem for DC/Warner Bros., especially since their studio is about to come under the control of Paramount through a merger, and Paramount also had its own box office disappointment with "Jackass: Best and Last."