One of the more bizarre moments in Maria Baritromo's career came in December 2020 when she welcomed guest Dennis Organ, CEO of Smithfield Foods — or at least that's who she thought she was speaking with. Somebody in her production team apparently fell flat on fact-checking, resulting in a six-minute conversation about COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in meat-processing plants, not with Smithfield's CEO but with animal rights activist Matt Johnson, impersonating the exec.
Later in the show, Bartiromo told viewers she needed to make "an important correction," declaring, "It appears we have been punk'd." Bartiromo continued, revealing she'd "since learned that that was not Dennis Organ, but an imposter making false claims about the company." She also promised her audience, "We will, of course, be more vigilant."
Speaking with The Wrap, Johnson explained he was able to get himself booked on the show as a phony guest by using a scheme that "involved fake email addresses and fake phone numbers and lots of pitches." Johnson also admitted he didn't have "too guilty of a conscience for pulling one over on Maria Bartiromo's show," given how much "misinformation" the show disseminated.
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