Tucker Carlson and Fox News sent shockwaves online this week after it was reported that the television host was no longer employed by the company.
For context, on April 24, Fox News released an official statement about Carlson’s exit. In it, the company claimed that Carlson’s departure stemmed from a mutual decision made by both parties, and that the star’s last program for Tucker Carlson Tonight aired on April 21. In addition to the shocking announcement, Fox News also revealed that Carlson’s show has been replaced with Fox News Tonight and will have rotating anchors “until a new host is named.”
To date, Carlson — who has been with the company since 2009, first as a contributor before ultimately landing his nightly show in 2016 — has yet to address the situation, leading many to believe he could have been fired. An indication that pointed toward that direction was a clip of the 53-year-old mentioning at the end of the April 21st episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight that he would be “back on Monday.” Despite fans’ speculation, no additional details regarding Carlson’s exit have been released, making it unclear whether he left Fox News, or was fired.
Carlson’s departure from Fox News comes days after the company settled their defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million. According to The Hill, Dominion’s suit resulted from Donald Trump’s “false claims of voter fraud,” during the 2020 presidential election and Fox News’ biased coverage on the matter. What make the situation even worse was that during the defamation suit, a deposition from Dominion’s attorneys unveiled private text messages many of which criticized Trump and his allegations from Fox News hosts, including Carlson.
At this time, no other information have been shared with the general public.
