Lou Dobbs, Conservative Pundit for CNN and Fox, Dies at 78

Former president Donald Trump shared the news on Truth Social Thursday: “He understood the world”

Fox anchor Lou Dobbs on "Lou Dobbs Tonight" in 2019
Fox anchor Lou Dobbs on "Lou Dobbs Tonight" in 2019 (Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Lou Dobbs, political commentator and anchor, has died at age 78.

Former president Donald Trump announced the death of the former CNN and Fox anchor in a post to Truth Social on Thursday.

Trump called the commentator a friend and incredible talent, noting that he “understood the world, and what was ‘happening,’ better than others.”

The conservative pundit started at CNN in 1980 as a reporter and a network vice president. He transitioned to on-camera reporting and hosted “Lou Dobbs Tonight” from 2003-09. After resigning from CNN in ’09, Dobbs moved his show to Fox Business, where he hosted “Lou Dobbs Tonight” for 10 years until it was cancelled in 2021.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lou Dobbs. An incredible business mind with a gift for broadcasting, Lou helped pioneer cable news into a successful and influential industry. We are immensely grateful for his many contributions and send our heartfelt condolences to his family,” Fox News Media said in a statement to the TheWrap.

The anchor was fired from the network after multiple lawsuits cited him for intentionally spreading disinformation about the 2020 election results.

Dobbs was a staunch Trump supporter and was one of the three Fox hosts named in the $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit over Smartmatic voting systems following Trump’s loss in 2020. He was also among the hosts named in the Dominion lawsuit for broadcasting false statements about the company’s voting machines.

However, he had still received many accolades for his work as a journalist, winning a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2005. Dobbs was also awarded a Primetime Emmy for his work on “Exporting America” in 2004.

He even received a Peabody Award for his coverage of the 1987 stock market crash and, in 1990, was awarded the Luminary Award by the Business Journalism Review for his business reporting in the ’80s.

Dobbs is survived by his wife Debi Lee Segura, a former CNN sports anchor, and their four children.

Comments