This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/apr/24/tucker-carlson-leaving-fox-news

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News in surprise announcement Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News in surprise announcement
(about 1 hour later)
Far-right cable news host leaves with immediate effect with interim presenters replacing himFar-right cable news host leaves with immediate effect with interim presenters replacing him
The far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson is leaving the channel, the network abruptly announced on Monday. The far-right host Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, it was abruptly announced on Monday.
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the company said in a statement. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.” “Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
The statement added that the last episode of Carlson’s program was Friday. Beginning Monday night, the 8pm ET slot which was Carlson’s would be hosted by a rotation of personalities until the selection of a new permanent host, according to the network. The statement said the last episode of Carlson’s program was Friday. Beginning on Monday, the 8pm ET slot will be hosted by a rotation of personalities until the selection of a new permanent host, the network said.
Carlson’s departure from Fox News appeared to be sudden. As of Monday morning, Fox was still previewing his show that evening, where he was set to interview Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy. Carlson’s last show on Friday ended with the host eating pizza and saying “we’ll be back on Monday”. Justin Wells, Carlson’s executive producer, is also leaving the network, Semafor reported. Carlson’s departure appeared sudden. As of Monday morning, Fox was still previewing his show that evening, where he was set to interview the Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy. Carlson’s last show, on Friday, ended with the host eating pizza and saying, “We’ll be back on Monday.”
Fox host Harris Faulkner addressed Carlson’s departure on air Monday morning, saying the network and Carlson had “mutually” agreed to separate. “We want to thank Tucker Carlson for his service to the network,” she said. Justin Wells, Carlson’s executive producer, is also leaving the network, Semafor reported.
Carlson is leaving the network less than a week after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5m. Filings in the case featured scores of vulgar text messages from Carlson in which he said he “hated [Donald] Trump passionately” and called Sidney Powell, a lawyer for the former president who was spreading false election information, a liar. The decision to oust Carlson came from Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Fox owner, and was connected to a lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a former senior booking producer on Carlson’s show who claims she faced sexism and a hostile work environment, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait,” he wrote in one text message in January 2021. “Sidney Powell is lying by the way. I caught her. It’s insane,” he wrote in another text message in 2020. Murdoch was also concerned by Carlson’s embrace of the idea that the January 6 attack on Congress was instigated by the government. On Sunday, CBS 60 Minutes broadcast a segment on Ray Epps, a Texas man Carlson has falsely accused of being an FBI plant at the Capitol.
A spokesperson for Dominion declined to comment on Carlson’s departure. Fox also faces a similar $2.7bn defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting equipment company. The Fox host Harris Faulkner addressed Carlson’s departure on air on Monday morning, saying the network and Carlson had “mutually” agreed to separate.
Carlson joined Fox as a contributor in 2009 and had become one of the network’s biggest stars after getting his own show in primetime, Tucker Carlson Tonight, in 2016. Last year, he became the network’s most-watched host, averaging 3.32 million in total viewers, according to the Washington Post. He also had the most viewers in the sought-after 25-54 demographic, the Post reported. “We want to thank Tucker Carlson for his service to the network,” she said.
Carlson relied on xenophobia and stoked white fears about America’s changing demographics in his climb to the top of the Fox ratings. Carlson is leaving less than a week after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5m. Filings in the case featured scores of vulgar text messages from Carlson in which he said he “hated [Donald] Trump passionately” and called Sidney Powell, a lawyer for the former president who was spreading false election information, a liar.
“Mr Carlson has constructed what may be the most racist show in the history of cable news – and also, by some measures, the most successful,” the New York Times wrote as part of a deep analysis of his show last year. “Though he frequently declares himself an enemy of prejudice … his show teaches loathing and fear. Night after night, hour by hour, Mr Carlson warns his viewers that they inhabit a civilization under siege.” “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait,” he wrote in one text message in January 2021.
On his show, he has embraced the “great replacement theory” – the idea that Jews and Democrats want to replace white people with non-white voters to bring about political change. After George Floyd’s murder by police officers in 2020, he belittled the Black Lives Matter movement, calling those protesting “criminal mobs”. “Sidney Powell is lying by the way. I caught her. It’s insane,” he wrote in another text message in 2020.
He has also downplayed the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, recently airing selectively edited footage as he tried to frame the insurrection as peaceful. He has also decried a so-called crisis of manliness, airing a special earlier this year that promoted using tanning therapy on testicles. Carlson’s exit was also related to negative comments about Fox management revealed in the Dominion case, the Washington Post reported, citing a person familiar with Fox thinking.
Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media watchdog group, praised Carlson’s departure, but predicted that other hosts would pick up his vitriol. “Do the executives understand how much credibility and trust we’ve lost with our audience?” Carlson wrote in one text to his producer.
“Tucker served as the bridge between Fox News and the most extreme parts of the rightwing base – laundering anti-trans paranoia, Infowars nonsense, election lies, and venomous rhetoric including the great replacement conspiracy theory nightly,” he said in a statement. “The Fox News audience is primed and ready to believe whatever lies and vitriol the next 8 o’clock hour host comes ready to spew. Ahead of Carlson’s departure, Fox has already been leaning into toxic hate as a business model by elevating extremists like Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro who now stand ready to try to capture Tucker’s audience.” “We’re playing with fire, for real,” he wrote in another message just after election day, when Fox made an early call for Joe Biden.
Carlson also faces a separate lawsuit from Abby Grossberg, a former senior booking producer on his show, who claims she faced sexism and a hostile work environment. On her first day of work, Grossberg, said, revealing pictures of Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit were placed on her computer screen and around her workspace, according to the lawsuit. In another instance, there was a newsroom-wide discussion over whether Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, or her Republican opponent, Tudor Dixon, was more attractive and which one staffers would rather have sex with. “Those fuckers are destroying our credibility,” he wrote. “Those fuckers are destroying our credibility.”
Grossberg also alleged she was coerced into giving misleading testimony as part of the Dominion lawsuit. She also released evidence she said Fox had to turn over in the discovery process. A spokesperson for Dominion declined to comment. Fox faces a similar $2.7bn defamation lawsuit from Smartmatic, another voting equipment company.
Carlson joined Fox as a contributor in 2009 and became one of its biggest stars after getting his own show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, in 2016. Last year, he became the most-watched host, averaging 3.32 million total viewers, according to the Washington Post. He also had the most viewers in the sought-after 25-54 demographic.
In his climb to the top of the Fox ratings, Carlson relied on xenophobia and stoked white fears about America’s changing demographics.
“Mr Carlson has constructed what may be the most racist show in the history of cable news – and also, by some measures, the most successful,” the New York Times wrote last year. “Though he frequently declares himself an enemy of prejudice … his show teaches loathing and fear. Night after night, hour by hour, Mr Carlson warns his viewers that they inhabit a civilization under siege.”
Carlson has embraced the “great replacement theory”: the idea Jews and Democrats want to replace white people with non-white voters. After the murder of George Floyd by police officers in 2020, he belittled Black Lives Matter protesters as “criminal mobs”.
He has also downplayed the January 6 attack, recently airing selectively edited footage as he tried to frame the insurrection as peaceful. He has decried a so-called crisis of manliness, airing a special that promoted using tanning therapy on testicles.
Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media watchdog, predicted that other hosts would pick up Carlson’s vitriol.
“Tucker served as the bridge between Fox News and the most extreme parts of the rightwing base – laundering anti-trans paranoia, Infowars nonsense, election lies and venomous rhetoric including the great replacement conspiracy theory nightly,” Carusone said.
“The Fox News audience is primed and ready to believe whatever lies and vitriol the next eight o’clock hour host comes ready to spew. Ahead of Carlson’s departure, Fox has already been leaning into toxic hate as a business model by elevating extremists like Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro who now stand ready to try to capture Tucker’s audience.”
Grossberg, the former producer now suing Carlson, alleges that on her first day of work, pictures of the California Democrat Nancy Pelosi in a plunging bathing suit were placed on her computer screen and around her workspace.
Grossberg also describes a newsroom-wide discussion over whether the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, or her Republican opponent, Tudor Dixon, was more attractive and which one staffers would rather have sex with.
Grossberg also alleges she was coerced into giving misleading testimony in the Dominion lawsuit. She also released evidence she said Fox had to turn over in the discovery process.
Fox denies Grossberg’s allegations. Grossberg’s attorney did not return a request for comment on Carlson’s departure.Fox denies Grossberg’s allegations. Grossberg’s attorney did not return a request for comment on Carlson’s departure.
Sam Wolfson contributed reportingSam Wolfson contributed reporting
More details soon …