Greta Van Susteren quits Fox News

Greta Van Susteren, host of Fox News' On the Record since 2002, is leaving the network.

The longtime host of the nightly news show will be replaced, starting today, by senior political analyst Brit Hume, the network said.

"Yes, I have left the Fox News Channel. On Thursday night, I made my decision and informed Fox News of my decision that I was leaving Fox News Channel per my contract," Van Susteren said Tuesday on her Facebook page. "Fox has not felt like home to me for a few years and I took advantage of the clause in my contract which allows me to leave now."

The clause in her contract "had a time limitation, meaning I could not wait," she continued. "I love my staff, I love my colleagues, and I love the crews. That is the hardest part of this decision as they are wonderful people. And most of all? I love the viewers -- even the ones who have gotten mad at me over the years and taken swipes."

Van Susteren added that "I hope to continue my career in broadcasting."

Fox Network co-presidents Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine in a joint statement: “We are grateful for Greta's many contributions over the years and wish her continued success."

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Van Susteren's departure comes on the same day that Fox News Channel's parent company Twenty-First Century Fox, agreed to pay $20 million to former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit she filed against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.

Her departure "had nothing to do with the settlement today,” the network said in a statement USA TODAY.

A financial disagreement between the network and Van Susteren was involved in her departure, said a person familiar to the situation.

Van Susteren joined Fox in 2002 after more than a decade as a legal analyst at CNN. She gained notoriety for her on-air analysis of the O.J. Simpson trial. At CNN, she co-hosted Burden of Proof with Roger Cossack and later hosted her own show, The Point.

In July, Van Susteren told The Daily Beast that she had a "long-term deal," but should she ever lose her Fox show she would be interested in re-entering the legal field or teaching at Georgetown University, where she earned master's and doctorate degrees in law.

Hume joined Fox News in 1996 after 23 years at ABC News, where he was the network's chief White House correspondent for the last seven years. He will anchor the show throughout the election season. "I am happy to take on this assignment for the balance of this extraordinary election," he said in a statement.

On Twitter, Hume said that he was "sorry to see Greta go. I count her as a friend ... I hope I won't drive her audience off."

Contributing: Roger Yu

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider