Fox News’ Tucker Carlson is gone. He’s left the network amid a rumor mill that won’t stop spinning until the now-former Fox anchor addresses it himself. Even then, expect the ongoing debate over what caused Carlson to leave or get fired to continue. Right now, media reporters are frantically dialing their sources to get the full story. We have three narratives behind the Tucker Carlson news, all of which is speculation. One is that he was going to address the Dominion Systems lawsuit, the voting machine company that sued Fox for $1.6 billion and recently received a $787 million settlement from the news organization, despite the ire and disappointment from the liberal press.
Tucker out at FNC: pic.twitter.com/qWgak4F8QA
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) April 24, 2023
Fox News had claimed that the company was behind the alleged 2020 election rigging, which we won’t get into, but Carlson was supposedly going to talk about the legal action, maybe clear his name, and then have guests to discuss the matter. The higher-ups said no, and Tucker walked. The second is that the host would discuss the CBS 60 Minutes episode on Ray Epps and the January 6 implications but was overruled and later announced his departure.
The extra layer of intrigue is if these two narratives were true, or at least partially, Carlson would seem resigned to his dismissal from the network. Yet, it sounded like he was planning on having a broadcast on Monday night when he signed off last Friday evening. According to Howard Kurtz, Fox's host for Media Buzz, Tucker was blindsided by today's news.
Mediaite quotes sources as saying Tucker was very surprised today by the news he was being fired - that’s why he signed off from Friday’s show saying he’d see everyone on Monday
— HowardKurtz (@HowardKurtz) April 24, 2023
The third story about Tucker's exit comes from the big man himself, Rupert Murdoch, who the LA Times says greenlit Carlson’s dismissal. There’s also a list of those fired by Fox in the aftermath of the Dominion settlement. And yes, Mr. Epps was also included in the LA Times story on Carlson’s departure. Was Murdoch behind the Carlson pushout? Who knows until the host addresses him leaving Fox in due time (via LA Times):
2. To explain this...think of Rupert Murdoch as Liz Cheney.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 24, 2023
Conservative but with limits.
He's always made it clear that January 6 was a limit.
Lachlan Murdoch, however, is way more conservative than his dad and aligned more with Tucker.
But Rupert remains in control.
A Fox News representative had no other details on Carlson’s exit. People familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment publicly said the decision to fire Carlson came straight from Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch.
Carlson’s exit is related to the discrimination lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, the producer fired by the network last month, the people said. Carlson’s senior executive producer Justin Wells has also been terminated, according to people familiar with the matter. A Fox News representative would not comment.
Murdoch is also said to be concerned over Carlson’s coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which the host has promoted the conspiracy theory that it was provoked by government agents.
Carlson has called Ray Epps — a Texas man who participated in the storming of the Capitol but did not enter the building — an FBI plant, without presenting any evidence.
Epps was interviewed Sunday on “60 Minutes” and said he has been subjected to death threats as a result of Carlson’s statements about him. The FBI told “60 Minutes” that Epps has never worked for the agency.
The decision is not related to the $787.5-million settlement Fox News agreed to pay to Dominion Voting Systems last week, according to a representative for Dominion.
However, some of the comments that Carlson had made about management in communications that turned up in the discovery process for the case may have also played a role in Carlson’s demise.
For now, it’s a lot of conjecture. The value Carlson brought to the network is not up for debate. Fox lost $930 million in market value when news of his exit was publicized. The Murdoch angle is another onion of speculation, as his son Lachlan reportedly being a top Carlson ally. Is Rupert still in control? Was January 6 his “hard limit,” as some are alleging? The January 6 riot has been featured on numerous Fox News programs for months, and the coverage has not been favorable to those who think these rioters were domestic terrorists. They weren’t, but that’s a story for another time. For now, it's sad to see Tucker go, but he’ll be back and probably richer and more visible than ever.
Good for Tucker. Trust me, he doesn’t need them. https://t.co/NjFqqsIV4q
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) April 24, 2023
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