By Aaron Miller-
Tucker Carlson has been fired from Fox News, the network announced.
In a statement, Fox News said it and Carlson had agreed to “part ways”.
Carlson found out about his firing 10 minutes before it was announced.
The decision to fire Carlson was jointly made by Rupert Murdoch’s son and Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, but under the ultimate authority of Rupert Murdoch himself.
Rupert Murdoch elevated Carlson from contributor to daily host in 2016. Carlson moved into prime time in 2017 after the ouster of Bill O’Reilly, the successful host who left amid sexual harassment allegations.
His last TV programme was Friday 21 April, the statement added. His primetime slot will now be hosted by a series of interim hosts until a permanent replacement is found.
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
“Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News is, in part, an admission of the systemic lying, bullying and conspiracy-mongering claimed by our client, former top producer Abby Grossberg,” said Tanvir Rahman, one of Grossberg’s attorneys. “Mr. Carlson and his subordinates remain individual defendants in the [Southern District of New York] case, and we look forward to taking their depositions under oath in the very near term.”
Dominion Voting Systems alleged in its lawsuit that Carlson allowed debunked election-fraud claims about the voting-technology firm to air on his show, while casting doubts on the plausibility of those claims in private messages that emerged in legal filings.
Carlson is also key to additional legal battles facing Fox, including a lawsuit filed by his former head of booking Abby Grossberg, who said Fox coerced her testimony in the Dominion case.
Murdoch also was said to be concerned about Carlson’s coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which he suggested it was orchestrated by the government agents.
Carlson has called Ray Epps — an Arizona 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.
Rupert Murdoch elevated Carlson from contributor to daily host in 2016. Carlson moved into prime time in 2017 after the ouster of Bill O’Reilly, the successful longtime host who left amid sexual harassment allegations.
Carlson’s exit is related to the discrimination lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a producer fired by the network last month, the sources said. Carlson’s senior executive producer, Justin Wells, has also been terminated, according to insiders.
The Los Angeles Times, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation, reports that the decision to fire Carlson came from the top, including Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan.
The 53-year-old was not just a popular presenter, but also a hugely influential one. His shows frequently set the agenda for conservatives and, by extension, the Republican party.
His programme offered a blend of populist conservative takes on issues ranging from immigration, crime, race, gender and sexuality, with “woke” ideology becoming a frequent target.
It made up four of the top 10 rated programmes on US cable TV, according to Nielsen data for the week 27 March to 2 April.
He was Fox News’ top-rated host, with more than three million viewers tuning in on an average night.
Although Carlson often publicly agreed with Donald Trump, whose politics have transformed the Republican party in recent years, he would occasionally diverge from the former president’s political views.
One rival network, Newsmax, said it had successfully attracted viewers from Fox News in recent months and Carlson’s departure would “only fuel that trend”.
Carlson’s sacking comes just days after Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit from the voting machine company Dominion over the cable network’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
In the lawsuit, Dominion argued that its business was harmed by Fox spreading false claims that its machines were rigged against Mr Trump.
The case led to disclosures of text messages that showed Carlson’s private views often contrasted with his on-air output.
Carlson’s show, which was routinely broadcast in the coveted 20:00 to 21:00 EST slot was cited in court documents by Dominion’s attorneys in their claim some of its output was defamatory.
Additionally, Fox News is facing a lawsuit filed in March by former guest booker Abby Grossberg in which she accused Carlson of “vile sexist stereotypes”. Fox News has counter-sued and said it would “vigorously defend these claims”.
Carlson’s latest interview with Mr Trump came two weeks ago, despite disclosures in the Dominion case showing he had privately said of the ex-president: “I hate him passionately.”
He also interviewed Twitter CEO Elon Musk during what would become his final week on Fox News.
A video shared on Twitter by journalist Aaron Rupar showed Carlson ending his show on Friday with the words “we’ll be back on Monday”..