Tucker Carlson’s shock exit from Fox News deals a blow to the top-rated cable news network, depriving it of its biggest primetime star and his proven ability to deliver ratings.
Fox will now have to figure out who will replace Carlson in what is widely seen as a watershed moment for the network’s editorial strategy.
This is just as Democrats are celebrating Monday’s shocking news that Tucker Carlson and Fox News have parted ways, going after the controversial cable news figure who frequently used his prime-time program to rail against liberal lawmakers and policies and, more recently, promote former President Trump’s claims about the 2020 election.
Carlson’s ousting comes less than a week after the network agreed to make a massive $787.5 million payment to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over its coverage of former President Trump’s false claims of voter fraud and the company’s software.
The network’s opinion stars, particularly Carlson, were at the center of that case, and the settlement avoided weeks of courtroom testimony that could have proved embarrassing to Fox.
Yet exactly why Fox and Carlson parted ways, and what degree the Dominion settlement played, were largely a mystery on Monday.
“After the settlement in the Dominion litigation and other lawsuits still pending Fox may have concluded that Carlson was simply too toxic to the company and its bottom line,” speculated Mark Conrad, an associate professor of Law and Ethics at Fordham Gabelli School of Business.
Fox has not commented on Carlson’s departure beyond a statement thanking him for his contributions to the network and announcing his last show was Friday.
“We have some news from within our Fox family,” Fox anchor Harris Faulkner said on the air Monday. “Fox News media and Tucker Carlson have mutually agreed to part ways.”
“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the network said in a statement.
Fox has survived high-profile exits in the past.
Former primetime host Bill O’Reilly was fired by the network after a number of women at the company accused him of sexual harassment. Fox lost star anchor Megyn Kelly to NBC in 2017 after she said she became unhappy with editorial decisions at the network.
In both of those cases, the network didn’t really look back as its ratings soared during the Trump administration — which generally served a ratings boon for a number of news networks and media outlets.
Yet in succeeding O’Reilly, Carlson became an arguably bigger star and could be more difficult to replace.
Last year, for example, Neilsen Media Research data showed Carlson was number one with the younger advertiser-coveted 25-54 age demographic, notching an average of 445,000 viewers and 3.1 million in total viewership, a large share of audience for a non-presidential election year.
As a result, even though it is clear that Fox was happy to have Carlson go, it will face real questions about whether it can keep his audience.
“It is a decision that many viewers may not accept easily,” Conrad said.
Shares of Fox Corporation fell roughly 3.6 percent by 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon, falling from close to $34 per share to under $32. Class B stock fell roughly 3.4 percent, from $31 to $29.
Kelly, for one, argued that Fox News made a serious business error in splitting with its star host.
“I don’t know what drove Fox News to make this decision. And it was clearly Fox News’ decision because they’re not letting him say goodbye,” Kelly, who now hosts a popular podcast catering to a conservative audience and has been previously critical of Fox, said of Carlson’s ousting. “That’s my supposition. That’s not inside knowledge …Talk about misjudging your audience yet again.”
Carlson’s split from Fox was a shock on Monday, though it was equally understandable given the context.
While details of the media divorce remain unclear, Democrats were quick to respond.
“Glad to hear that one of the most divisive, racist and destructive forces on television is off his prime time show,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) wrote on Twitter. “Tucker Carlson will not be missed.”
“This program was a sewer of countless lies and hate spewed out every single night. One of the leading election deniers and opponents of democracy in America and abroad will no longer have a primetime platform,” Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) said in a tweet. “That’s a good thing.”
Some Democrats were more terse in their responses: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) tweeted “good riddance,” and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who on Sunday accused Carlson and other Fox News figures of “incitement of violence,” wrote “wow.”
The split between Fox News and Carlson comes less than one week after the network agreed to a $787.5 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over Fox’s coverage of former President Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Dominion had accused Fox of airing claims from Trump and others about the voting systems company despite knowing that they were false.
Court filings released before the settlement showed top Fox News executives and hosts — including Carlson — privately dismissing the election fraud claims touted by Trump and his associates. In a text message sent to fellow Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, Carlson said he hated Trump “passionately” and labeled the allegations of election fraud “insane.”
It wasn’t clear on Monday what, if any, connection there was between the settlement or revealed text messages and Carlson’s departure from the network.
But some Democrats drew a line between the two.
“Crazy thought, but maybe it’s time to face some consequences after blatantly lying to millions of Americans and actively eroding democracy for years,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) wrote on Twitter.
“Don’t know for sure if the firing of Tucker Carlson is connected to the lies & accusations of voter fraud perpetrated by Fox News, Trump, & his sycophants against you, Dominion Voting Systems. Thank you for your fight and your lawsuit, you beat the hell out of them, bye-bye @TuckerCarlson!” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said in a tweet.
Carlson’s breakup with Fox News marks a victory of sorts for Democrats, who have railed against the network’s coverage. Criticism of Fox News — and Carlson specifically — hit a fever-pitch last month when the now-former host aired footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol while describing the day as “mostly peaceful chaos.”
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had granted Carlson exclusive access to the footage over Democrats’ strenuous objections.
In a letter to Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and Fox News executives last month — days before the footage aired in prime time — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) asked the executive to stop network personalities from amplifying false claims of election fraud and to have them admit they were incorrect to spread such allegations.
The pair specifically singled out Carlson.
“We demand that you direct Tucker Carlson and other hosts on your network to stop spreading false election narratives and admit on the air that they were wrong to engage in such negligent behavior,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote.
In remarks on the Senate floor the same day the letter was sent, Schumer called Carlson “disingenuous” and “dishonest.”
In May 2022, after 10 people were fatally shot in Buffalo by a gunman who reportedly espoused the so-called great replacement conspiracy theory, Schumer sent a letter to Murdoch and network executives asking he “immediately cease the reckless amplification of the so-called ‘Great Replacement’ theory on your network’s broadcasts.”
The New York Democrat called out Carlson in that instance, as well.
“A recent AP poll found that nearly one third of American adults believe that a group of people is trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants for electoral gains. That same poll found that your viewers are nearly three times more likely to believe in Replacement Theory than other networks,” Schumer wrote.
“This should come as no surprise given the central role these themes have played in your network’s programming in recent years. A recent New York Times investigation found that Tucker Carlson alone amplified this dangerous and unfounded theory in more than 400 episodes of his show,” he added.
Democrats continued that criticism following Monday’s news. Tucker Carlson’s exit deals blow to Fox News Texas bill seeks to keeps lights on in midst of disaster
“Tucker Carlson’s anti-immigrant, misinformation-filled rants endangered our communities. I’m glad Tucker Carlson is off the air, but he’s done great damage beaming hate into millions of homes each night. We’ll continue to fight white supremacy in all its forms,” Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) wrote on Twitter.
With Carlson’s exit from Fox News, some lawmakers are now waiting to see whether the network will follow suit with other controversial figures.
“Now they just need to take out the rest of the trash,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said on Twitter.
The Hill
