April 24 (Reuters) – Fox News Media and its top-rated host Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways, less than a week after parent company Fox Corp ( FOXA.O ) paid for $787.5 million of dollars in a defamation suit in which Carlson played a leading role. paper
The outspoken Carlson embraced conservative issues and delivered his views with a style that made his prime-time show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” the highest-rated cable news program in the key 25 demographic at 54 years old in the United States most viewed. cable news network. Fox shares closed down 2.9% on the news, which the company announced Monday.
Dominion Voting Systems alleged in its lawsuit that Carlson allowed debunked voter fraud claims about the voting technology company to air on its show, while questioning the plausibility of those claims in messages private that arose in the legal documents.
Carlson is also key to additional legal battles Fox is facing, including a lawsuit filed by its former booking chief Abby Grossberg, who said Fox coerced her testimony in the Dominion case.
Grossberg last month accused the network’s lawyers of pressuring her to provide misleading testimony and said Fox exposed her and others to rampant sexism and misogyny. Fox fired Grossberg, saying his legal claims were “riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.”
Carlson’s next move and the reason for his departure are unclear.
“We appreciate his service to the network as a host and previously as a contributor,” Fox News said in a statement. Although the departure leaves Fox without one of its biggest stars, advertisers have flocked to Carlson’s show as he has embraced the controversy.
Two sources familiar with the matter said Fox Corp Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott made the decision late Friday that it was time to part ways with Carlson.
A third person said “Tucker Carlson Tonight” senior executive producer Justin Wells was also fired from Fox News on Monday.
U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, said Fox would suffer from Carlson’s departure. “@TuckerCarlson leaving Fox News. He was the boldest thing they had! This is a huge loss for Fox,” he wrote on Twitter.
CLAIMS OF MANIPULATION
Fox personality Tucker Carlson speaks at the 2017 Business Insider Ignition: Future of Media conference in New York, U.S., November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
In the weeks immediately after Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, Fox’s smaller, more conservative rivals, such as Newsmax, gained viewers as they questioned the election results. Dominion alleged that Fox staff, from Carlson and members of the newsroom to the board of directors, knew the statements about Dominion were false but continued to air them to avoid losing more viewers.
“For some time now, Fox News has been moving to become establishment media, and the removal of Tucker Carlson is a major milestone in that effort,” said Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy. in a statement.
In deeply conservative West Texas, some Fox viewers expressed shock and anger at Carlson’s removal.
“My wife and I just talked about this, and we think it’s a real shame that they took him off the air, because he’s a real conservative voice,” said Mark Gudelman, a 67-year-old retiree who was shopping in a Dollar General. store in Shallowater, Texas.
Four people from Shallowater who said they were conservative but did not give their full names told Reuters they stopped watching Fox after Trump’s perceived betrayal in 2020. They said they now preferred what they considered to be media even more truly conservative, like Newsmax. or One America News.
Dominion is also suing Newsmax and One America News over similar debunked vote-rigging claims.
Carlson’s last show was April 21, the company said in the statement. He said “Fox News Tonight” will air live at 8 p.m. EDT starting Monday as an interim show led by rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named.
Following the announcement of Carlson’s departure from Fox News, a spokesman for former President Donald Trump tweeted: “Fox News is controlled opposition.” Trump gave an interview to Carlson earlier this month that aired on Fox.
In an interview with Newsmax on Monday, Trump said Carlson was “a very good and very talented person.” He said he did not know if Carlson’s departure was voluntary or if he was fired.
Republican U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert, who has been a staunch Trump supporter, was quick to endorse Carlson. “I’m with Tucker Carlson!” he tweeted shortly after the news broke.
Carlson joined Fox News as a contributor in 2009 and became co-anchor of “Fox & Friends Weekend” in 2012. He began hosting his prime-time show in November 2016. In 2021, Fox announced a multi-year deal with Carlson to provide content. for its Fox Nation streaming service.
Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bangalore
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