Media

Tucker Carlson and Fox News part ways

by Dominick Mastrangelo

Tucker Carlson has parted ways with Fox News, the network said on Monday.

“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.

Carlson’s last show was Friday, the network said.

Fox said it would air a new program called “Fox News Tonight” at 8 p.m. starting Monday evening as an interim show helmed by rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named.

Carlson was Fox’s top-rated prime-time host, netting an average of more than 3 million viewers per night, the most of any pundit on cable television.

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Carlson’s departure from the network came less than a week after it agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over coverage of former President Trump’s false claims of voter fraud and the company’s software.

Depositions taken by Dominion’s lawyers exposed private communications from top hosts at the network, including Carlson.

In one widely publicized text exchange with fellow prime-time hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, Carlson said he hated Trump “passionately” and called the former president’s claims of voter fraud “insane.”

Carlson’s show launched in 2016 and regularly featured controversial guests and segments on matters of race, immigration and other hot political topics of the day. 

His hourlong opinion program, which featured an opening monologue and guest interviews, often acted as a proving ground for Republican office-seekers and conservative activists looking to broaden their reach with voters and donors. 

Earlier this month, Trump sat for an extensive interview with Carlson, which the former president used to bash Democrats and the media. 

News of Carlson’s departure broke during the network’s afternoon “Outnumbered” program, with host Harris Faulkner echoing the outlet’s public statement saying it had been a mutual agreement and thanking Carlson for his work at Fox. 

During his most recent appearance on the network on Friday, Carlson indicated he expected to be back on its airwaves on Monday. 

“That’s it for us for the week,” Carlson said as he signed off. “We’ll be back on Monday.” 

Carlson spoke at an event on Friday for the conservative Heritage Foundation, at which he formerly was a copy editor and fact checker at the organization’s now defunct policy review quarterly. 

Heritage president Kevin Roberts said after Carlson’s speech: “If things go south for Fox News, there’s always a job for you here.”

“You’ve saved me before,” Carlson replied. 

Updated at 12:20 p.m.

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