Smith was willing to report the news honestly, even when it conflicted with the conspiracy theories and lies of Fox’s prime-time hosts. That gave him mainstream credibility and respect, even as it earned him the contempt of the network’s conservative fanbase, his right-wing colleagues, and Trump himself.

The burgeoning impeachment inquiry into Trump’s abuses of power triggered a new urgency in the conflict between Fox’s “news” and “opinion” divisions, one that centered around Smith. An intense on-air feud erupted between Smith and Fox host and sometime Trump adviser Tucker Carlson over whether Trump had broken the law by asking the Ukrainian government to investigate his political opponent. The argument was capped off by Carlson’s suggestion that Smith was providing his audience with partisan opinion, not news (with Smith reportedly told by Fox executives that he would be terminated if he extended the conflict). And just yesterday, the president mentioned Smith while lashing out at Fox for being insufficiently supportive of his administration.