Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News on Monday, just days after the channel settled a historic defamation suit. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
«Great end to the week,» Tucker Carlson said as he stuffed pizza with his mouth during his Fox News show on Friday night. «We'll be back on Monday.»
Unbeknownst to the cable news star, though, these would be his last statements on Fox. On Monday morning, he received the order to go.
Carlson's sudden departure caused shock not only in the media industry, but in the US society as a whole, causing horror and joy among various members of the political spectrum.
< p>The 53-year-old was the most watched host on Fox. gathering an audience of over 3 million every night. Carlson was especially popular in Trump's world, but he was vilified by the left.
His departure raises fundamental questions about the future of Fox News as Rupert Murdoch attempts to reclaim his position after a high-profile libel suit.
With his main star gone, will Murdoch change tactics or just find another, less corrupted troublemaker to take his place?
Whichever direction he takes, the question remains: will his audience stay up to date?
Carlson has been working in US conservative media since the 1990s and came to Fox News as a political analyst. By 2016, he had taken over the 8pm primetime host of Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Carlson, who was reportedly Murdoch's favorite, has quickly become a key mouthpiece for the populist, hardline views that Trump espouses. .
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His diatribes, lamenting immigration across the Mexican border and demonizing the Black Lives Matter movement, helped garner Trump's support, with the host earning a reported $20 million salary.
Carlson even used the President's ear, flying to his resort of Mar -a-Lago in early 2020 to convince him to take Covid more seriously. This was before the Fox host himself changed course, propagating anti-vaccination views on the air and calling medical experts «witch doctors.»
In many ways, Carlson's departure should not have come as a surprise—he was fired from his previous two positions at CNN and MSNBC. However, his downfall came quickly.
The decision to fire him, reportedly coming directly from Murdoch, may be due to Fox News' impressive $788 million deal with Dominion Voting Systems on the eve of the trial about slander. last week.
Documents released as part of the lawsuit alleging that Fox aired knowingly false statements about vote-rigging in the 2020 U.S. presidential election debunked Carlson's messages critical of his bosses and fellow journalists at Fox, often in offensive language.
Carlson was also condemned for his efforts to portray the January 2021 Capitol riots as peaceful protests.
January 6 Fox News footage
A discrimination lawsuit filed by former Fox producer Abby Grossberg last month in which Carlson was accused of overseeing a toxic work environment, bullying and anti-Semitism may have been the final straw.
His firing could mean a more fundamental change direction of Murdoch's cable news channel.
«I think it may have been an editorial decision by Fox to drop an anchor that is so pro-Trump,» Alice says. Enders at Enders Analysis.
Text messages released as part of the Dominion lawsuit show Carlson privately told friends that he «hates» Trump with a passion. However, on air, he continued to support the former president.
Court documents show that Murdoch also turned his back on Trump after years of support. “We want to make Trump non-personal,” he told one of the former top executives.
The billionaire media mogul instead supported Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, who was supposed to run for president.
p>Tucker Carlson on Donald Trump 2
Carlson's breakup may be indicative of Murdoch's desire to return to a more traditional, conservative audience and move away from Trump's increasingly marginalized world.
The shift came about, Enders says due to 'stunning' settlement in the Dominion is urgently needed.
In a decisive ruling ahead of the trial, Judge Eric Davis ruled that Fox could not argue that Trump's stolen election statements were newsworthy.
“All the media in the US will have to correct their actions and introduce some discipline — they cannot use the First Amendment as a blanket cover for everything their anchors say,” Enders says.
The channel is still is facing a separate $2.7 billion lawsuit from Dominion competitor Smartmatic as. as well as a claim brought by a shareholder.
“I think it could very well be that there is some step to bring the flock, employees, hosts and so on together and just say, 'Look, there are rules that you just have to follow.'
Media analyst Ian Whittaker says Carlson's departure may be part of a broader move away from partisan programming to safer places closer to the center.
He draws comparisons to Don Lemon, a longtime broadcaster fired from CNN's left-wing the same day as Carlson.
“If you deliberately limit your attractiveness to one side of the equation, at some point you will run into a buffer,” Whittaker says.
Regardless of political affiliation, advertising dollars will be more attractive. most of Murdoch's concerns.
Rupert Murdoch may be guiding Fox News towards a more centrist stance as the channel moves away from Trumpism. Photo: Carlo AllegriThe mogul has always put pragmatism over politics in his attempts to support the winner, especially when The Sun came out in support of Tony Blair in 1997.
Enders describes Fox News as «a real cash cow.» and the «jewel in the crown» of Murdoch's empire.
With low costs and high margins, Fox's cable business generated over $6 billion in revenue last year and accounted for the bulk of the group's profits.
There will no doubt be some concern that Carlson's exit will cause a churn advertising. However, analysts are optimistic about the impact on Fox's bottom line.
The network has experienced scandals before.
Primetime host Bill O'Reilly, who was Fox's most popular star, was fired following allegations of sexual harassment in 2017. Fox's juggernaut plowed through no matter what.
What's more, there are limited options for viewers or advertisers looking for a new home on the right TV.
Newsmax and OAN, two of its main competitors, operate on a much smaller scale. Moreover, Dominion is still seeking $1.6 billion in damages from them, an amount that could bankrupt both companies if they were forced to pay.
“Fox is number one, there is no alternative, and political ads have never been this big and are getting bigger with every election,” Enders says.
With the next presidential election coming up, 2024 could give Fox a much-needed opportunity to recoup some of its losses from Dominion and shore up its foothold on the market.
Carlson's departure strengthens the editorial power of Murdoch and his aides.
While he may try to steer Fox away from the excesses of the Trump era and return to a safer place, the media mogul won't want to mess with the crown jewels too much.
trying to create a new line will most likely not work,” says Whittaker. «In the end, Murdoch will have a vested interest in his legacy and ensure that Fox continues to operate.»
On Monday night, Brian Kilmead became the first Fox host to replace Carlson on television. slot at 20:00. After a very brief tribute to his deposed colleague, everything was business as usual.
“Joe Biden thinks the Oval Office is in the Capitol, he can’t say the word eight and wants to lick the world. Kilmead was indignant.
«Forget hostile interviews, Joe Biden can't answer kids' questions anymore.»
Judging by this first show, it looks like old habits may yet die cruelly to Fox.
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