What happened to Chris Salcedo on Newsmax?

After a nine-year run, The Chris Salcedo Show ended its run on Newsmax on Jan. 16. The self-styled “liberty-loving Latino” left many confused. Many of his fans were emotional and flooded his website and X mentions with positive messages — Chris Salcedo went on to acknowledge the support and shared that they even managed to crash his website.

Soon after, Salcedo’s fans began demanding answers about why he chose to end a show that was well established with the conservative crowd. Chris did assure them that he would still be on radio and continue his personal podcast, The Salcedo Storm Podcast, on SoundCloud. Yet his fans still wanted a concrete reason for why he was leaving Newsmax.

Salcedo eventually decided to address the situation directly by posting a video on his YouTube page titled “Setting the Record Straight.”

Non-Renewal of contract

These days, Salcedo is one of the few media figures President Donald Trump would grant one of his infamous interviews. But back in 1992, Salcedo was cold-calling his local radio station in San Diego, California, asking for a job — any job — as long as he could get his foot in the door. That enthusiasm became infectious and, frankly, his calling card.

However, once he landed at Newsmax, the work became grueling after a few years. In his YouTube video, Salcedo confirmed that his most recent contract was up. He was offered a renewal but chose to reject it. Perhaps he now wants to focus on the more periodic nature of podcasts rather than the daily grind of a televised news show.

Strategic Programming Revamp

This remains unconfirmed. However, sources familiar with the matter told Barrett Media that Newsmax was shifting its programming strategy and moving beyond Salcedo in favor of hosts with what the network views as a “strengthened connection” to audiences.

Salcedo’s show was also moved from the more lucrative 4 p.m. ET slot to 5 p.m. ET. The reshuffle was reportedly meant to make room for Carl Higbie and Greta Van Susteren. Such moves often offer a glimpse into a network’s long-term vision.

Focus on independent growth and future goals

Newsmax has faced a string of controversies in recent years. From the 2020 election lawsuits — where Dominion served the network with legal papers over election denialism to appease to Trump — Newsmax’s reputation within conservative circles suffered. The fallout also reportedly led to executives receiving multiple death threats. The network ultimately paid Dominion $40 million.

Another recent lawsuit involved a clash between conservative-leaning outlets Newsmax and Fox, with the latter accused of “monopolizing” right-wing media. For Salcedo, these issues could become hindrances as he attempts to climb to the top of conservative media, in the mold of Tucker Carlson. By moving into independence, Salcedo, like Carlson, can focus on personal growth without being weighed down by tangential corporate controversies.

Stagnating Ratings in a Competitive Market

At the end of the day, in show business, the rule is not what have you ever done — it’s what have you done for me lately. Unfortunately, The Chris Salcedo Show was stagnating and even experiencing a slight slump between 2024 and 2025. The program reportedly suffered a 26% decline in ratings, averaging around 250,000 viewers per week.

If Salcedo had been winning in the fiercely competitive conservative media landscape — largely against Fox News — executives likely would have offered him whatever he needed to stay. That simply wasn’t the case.