Suddenly, Tucker Carlson is no longer at Fox News. On Monday, it was announced (via Variety) that Carlson is leaving his role at the network as the host of Tucker Carlson Tonight, despite his status as the most-watched primetime TV host. The news comes as a surprise with no specific reason given as for why Carlson is leaving Fox, though a company statement suggests that it was a mutual decision.
"Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the statement reads. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
Carlson started hosting Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News in 2016, and it would later servieas the replacement for The O'Reilly Factor after Bill O'Reilly's own exit from the network following misconduct allegations in 2017. The program has generated great controversy over these years, as Carlson has been accused of promoting false conspiracy theories among other complaints. Many have also likened him to white nationalists and Carlson has often been accused of racism and sexism.
Another low moment in the show's run saw head writer Blake Neff resign when bigoted comments he'd made on the internet were traced back to him in 2020. Carlson addressed the situation on Tucker Carlson Tonight, condemning the writer's controversial verbiage. Carlson also announced his plan at the time to take an extended vacation because of the incident.
"We don’t endorse those words,” Carlson said on the program. “They have no connection to the show. It is wrong to attack people for qualities they cannot control.”
With that said, Carlson addressed the people online celebrating the firing as "ghouls now beating their chests," and added, “When we pose as blameless in order to hurt other people, we are committing the gravest sin of all."
Did the Dominion Lawsuit Lead to Tucker Carlson's Exit?
It's easy to speculate that this may have something to do with the recent lawsuit loss involving the network. Fox News Channel is ordered to pay $787 million as part of a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems based on the 2020 presidential election coverage. It was alleged in the lawsuit that Carlson and his team intentionally broadcast defamatory comments about the company, such as the allegation that voting machines were manipulated to secure Joe Biden's election win.
As of now, a fill-in hasn't yet been named to fill the time slot in the wake of Carlson's absence. Fox News execs are likely working on that as we speak and an announcement is probably imminent. Carlson's final show aired on April 21, and until a permanent replacement is named, Fox News Tonight will air with rotating Fox News personalities hosting.