Fox News apologizes for airing O’Leary claims about data centers

Media Fox News apologizes for airing O’Leary claims about data centers by Dominick Mastrangelo - 06/29/26 9:44 AM ET Link copied by Dominick Mastrangelo - 06/29/26 9:44 AM ET Link copied

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Fox News issued an apology over the weekend for airing unsubstantiated claims made by businessman and television personality Kevin O’Leary alleging opponents of a data center project he is involved in are linked to China.

“Kevin O’Leary appeared as a guest on the show on May 24 and discussed the ongoing controversy surrounding his planned data center project in Utah,” the statement, which was read by anchors on a number of Fox shows, read. “He made certain claims relating to the opponents of his project. Mr. O’Leary has now corrected the record and explained he has ‘no evidence’ that the Alliance for a Better Utah, Josh Kantor or Taylor Knuth are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party.”

Fox News Media is “likewise aware of no evidence that they are funded by, or acting in the direction of, or in coordination with Chinese interests in opposing Mr. O’Leary’s project,” the network said.

“Fox News Media also apologizes for the error,” it concluded.

The apologies were first reported by Mediaite, which noted in its coverage O’Leary had made the claims on “Mornings with Maria Bartiromo” last month, when he described China as an “adversary” that wants “us to stop building our electrical grid.”

“Recently I appeared on various news programs and would like to clarify that 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,” O’Leary said in a social media post last week.

O’Leary is a leading American businessman and a vocal supporter of President Trump.

He is currently eyeing a controversial 40,000-acre artificial intelligence data center campus in Utah that has sparked major pushback over the project’s scale and environmental concerns from local residents.

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