© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Fox personality Tucker Carlson speaks at the Business Insider Ignition: Future of Media 2017 conference in New York, US November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Written by Helen Koster
(Reuters) – Fox News Media and its top-rated host Tucker Carlson have agreed to separate, less than a week after parent Fox Corp. settled $787.5 million in a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson starred.
Outspoken Carlson espoused conservative causes and presented his views in a style that made his prime-time show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” the top-rated news program in the 25-54 age group in the United States the most watched. Cable News Network. Shares of Fox closed down 2.9% on the news the company announced on Monday.
Dominion Voting Systems alleged in its lawsuit that Carlson allowed bogus claims of election fraud about the broadcast voting technology company on his platform, while casting doubt on the plausibility of those claims in private messages that appeared in legal filings.
Carlson is also key to additional legal battles facing Fox, including a lawsuit brought by former chief booker Abby Grossberg, who said Fox was coerced to testify in the Dominion case.
Last month, Grossberg accused the network’s lawyers of pressuring her to provide misleading testimony, and said Fox had subjected her and others to sexism and misogyny. Fox fired Grosberg, saying her legal claims were “full of false allegations against Fox and our employees.”
Carlson’s next move and the reason for his departure are not clear.
“We thank him for his service to the network as a host and, before that, as a contributor,” Fox News said in a statement. While the departure left Fox without one of its biggest stars, advertisers fled Carlson’s show as it embraced controversy.
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Media executive Susan Scott came to a decision Friday night that it was time to let Carlson go, two people familiar with the matter said.
A third person said that “Tucker Carlson Tonight” senior executive producer Justin Wells was also let go from Fox News on Monday.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said Fox would suffer from Carlson’s departure. He wrote on Twitter: “TuckerCarlson left Fox News. The boldest of them! Such a huge loss for Fox.”
manipulation claims
In the weeks since Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, smaller, more conservative rivals to Fox like Newsmax have captured viewers as they question the election results. Dominion claimed that Fox employees, ranging from Carlson and members of the newsroom to the board of directors, knew the statements about Dominion were wrong but kept airing them to avoid losing more viewers.
“For some time now, Fox News has been moving towards becoming a corporate news outlet, and Tucker Carlson’s dismissal is a significant milestone in that effort,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a statement.
In the deeply conservative state of West Texas, some Fox viewers expressed shock and outrage at Carlson’s impeachment.
“My wife and I have been talking about this, and we think it’s a real problem that they took him off the air, because he’s a real conservative voice,” said Mark Godelman, a 67-year-old retiree who was shopping at Dollar General. (NYSE: Store in Shallowwater, Texas.
Four people in Schallwater who said they were conservatives but did not disclose their full names told Reuters they stopped watching Fox after Trump’s perceived betrayal in 2020. They said they now prefer what they considered to be truly more conservative outlets, like Newsmax or One America News.
Dominion is also suing Newsmax and One America News for similar bogus allegations of vote fraud.
The company said in the statement that Carlson’s last program was on April 21. She said “Fox News Tonight” will air live at 8 p.m. EST starting Monday as a spin-off show run by rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is chosen.
After Carlson’s departure from Fox News was announced, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump tweeted: “Fox News controls the opposition.” Trump gave an interview to Carlson earlier this month that aired on Fox.
In an interview with Newsmax on Monday, Trump said Carlson is “a very good person, a very talented person.” He said he did not know whether Carlson’s departure was voluntary or if he was fired.
US Republican Representative Lauren Boebert, who has been a staunch supporter of Trump, was quick to endorse Carlson. “I stand with Tucker Carlson!” She tweeted shortly after the news broke.
Carlson joined Fox News as a contributor in 2009 and became a co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend” in 2012. He began hosting his own flagship show in November 2016. In 2021, Fox announced a multi-year deal with Carlson to provide content for the Fox Nation Broadcasting Service.