Tucker Carlson is out. Fox News has lost one of its faces that earned the network record ratings. Only "The Five" had equitable or better ratings in key demographics. Many stories are circling about what led to Carlson’s departure, and they’re sure to multiply as days pass. The only person to squash it is Carlson himself, who probably will once he’s spoken to his lawyers and those who still work for his former employer and create a well-crafted statement. We’ll see if that’s the trajectory regarding this fact-finding mission, but Tucker’s loss was demonstrated in the markets. Fox lost $930 million when the news hit the wires that Carlson was out of the network. There’s a massive hole in the primetime slot for Fox News, but that’s not the real problem facing the organization.
Finding a fill-in host is a significant problem, but it could be a canary in the coal mine situation. It will show where the network wants to go now that one of its most reliably conservative hosts is gone. Carlson sent liberal blood pressures skyrocketing with his smart, concise, and devastating takedowns of liberal narratives, exposing them all as logical fallacies, illiberal hogwash, or outright lies. He was effective, which is why the left hated him so much; he knew their playbook. It’s why he was the host mentioned by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who not so long ago said how she wanted Fox to be regulated, citing Carlson specifically over his January 6 commentaries.
That’s where at least one narrative about his departure is rooted. Some reports are Rupert Murdoch, the top guy, was reportedly queasy over Carlson’s January 6 segments, which led to Carlson's firing. It’d be an odd happenstance considering the network has had multiple reports on the riot. Howard Kurtz, the network’s media reporter, even said that the news of his dismissal reportedly floored Carlson, as he had signed off his Friday program expecting to be back Monday night. There are other whispers, too; both end with Carlson quitting in the face of management nixing his segments.
The first rumor dealt with a lengthy commentary over the lawsuit Fox faced from Dominion Voting Systems, which was settled to the tune of $787 million. Carlson allegedly wanted to do something on the segment, maybe clear the air regarding his involvement in the suit, and then have a list of guests to speak on it further. The brass reportedly said no, so Carlson walked.
The other rumor is that Carlson wanted to rip CBS and their "60 Minutes" episode on Ray Epps, the man many alleged was an FBI agent before the January 6 riot. Again, the story ends with the top Fox News executives telling Carlson no, and him quitting.
Editorial disagreements and Murdoch issuing the code red; pick your poison. Or not. Whether Carlson quit or was fired is a peripheral debate. One tweet captured the severe nature of the situation this firing bears for Fox and the conservative movement:
Fox will implode without Tucker Carlson. You're left with Ukraine propaganda and Bruce Jenner as a transgender regular. Tucker consistently hit all the right notes on immigration, corporate greed, medical freedom, the sexual revolution, war--that is why he also reached moderate…
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) April 24, 2023
With all due respect to Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, they are both great, but need some help; the pair can’t carry the network. There’s been a slew of other dismissals in the aftermath of the Dominion settlement; maybe Carlson was a casualty of some housecleaning. Is there something more here? Did Dominion threaten more legal action if some people weren’t removed? Who knows, but Murdoch has also parted ways with folks like Bill O’Reilly, who drew a sizeable audience and earned great ratings if it meant protecting the organization's integrity.
It feels like all the chips are in the center of the table. Can Fox News move on and survive after Carlson’s exit, or is this truly the end?
