NEW YORK (AP) — Shepard Smith, whose newscast on Fox News Channel seemed increasingly an outlier on a network dominated by supporters of President Trump, has abruptly quit after working at Fox since it started in 1996.

Smith said at the end of his daily newscast Friday that he had asked the network to let him out of his contract and it had agreed.

Even in the current polarized environment, Smith said “it’s my hope that the facts will win the day, that the facts will always matter and journalism and journalists will thrive.”

Neil Cavuto, who anchors the broadcast following Smith’s, looked shocked after the announcement.

“Whoa,” Cavuto said. “Like you, I’m a little stunned.”

Smith had frequently given tough reports debunking statements made by Trump and his supporters.