Overview
- Fox News and Fox Business broadcast a roughly 45-second apology on multiple programs after Kevin O’Leary suggested opponents of his Utah data center were funded by China.
- The apology, aired on shows including the Big Weekend Show, Mornings with Maria, Saturday in America, and Big Money Show, said the network is aware of no evidence supporting O’Leary’s allegations.
- O’Leary posted a public clarification saying he has “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.
- The dispute centers on O’Leary’s Stratos Project, a proposed large natural-gas–powered data center near the Great Salt Lake reported at about 9 gigawatts on roughly 40,000 acres that critics say would raise emissions and strain local resources.
- Media observers noted the rare on-air retraction may reflect legal or reputational risk for the network and for O’Leary, and it leaves open closer scrutiny of both his public claims and the environmental controversy over the project.