In a surprising announcement on Monday, Fox News announced that it has severed ties with right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson, who hosted the network's highly rated 8pm hour.
This decision appeared to be abrupt as just before the announcement, the network was promoting an interview with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy scheduled to air on Carlson's show that night.
Carlson had also concluded his previous Friday show by saying that they would be back on Monday.
This announcement comes just a week after Fox News settled a $787.5 million defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over the network's dissemination of election lies.
Carlson was a top promoter of conspiracy theories and radical rhetoric at the network, repeatedly casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election and promoting unfounded conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines. Additionally, he elevated white nationalist talking points.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, praised Fox News' decision, stating that "it's about time" and that "for far too long, Tucker Carlson has used his primetime show to spew antisemitic, racist, xenophobic and anti-LGBTQ hate to millions.
A leading proponent of conspiracy theories
Last week, Fox News settled a massive defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for a historic sum of $787 million, just as the trial was about to begin. Tucker Carlson played a significant role in this lawsuit as a key figure.
While only one of the 20 Fox broadcasts cited in Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox News was from Tucker Carlson's highly-rated show, he still played an outsized role in the litigation.
CNN reported exclusively that he was set to be one of Dominion's first witnesses to testify at trial, and his private text messages, which were made public as part of the lawsuit, had a national impact.
Dominion obtained access to a group chat between Carlson, fellow Fox primetime hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, as well as a trove of other messages related to the 2020 presidential election.
As part of the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News, private communications from Tucker Carlson were made public, revealing that he harbored a strong dislike for former President Donald Trump and considered his presidency a "disaster."
Additionally, he used misogynistic language to criticize pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell and rejected her conspiracies about the 2020 election, even though those theories were given airtime on Fox News.
The lawsuit brought to light a stark contrast between Carlson's private views and his on-air persona. It is unclear whether Carlson's departure from Fox News is directly linked to the Dominion case or other lawsuits related to the network's denial of the 2020 election results. Fox News did not provide any explanation for Carlson's departure in their statement on Monday.
Aside from his involvement in the Dominion case, Carlson was also one of the most prominent promoters of conspiracy theories in right-wing media. He cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, downplayed the January 6 insurrection, and promoted unfounded theories about Covid-19 vaccines.
Over the past two years since the attack on the US Capitol, Tucker Carlson, a Fox News primetime host, has used his significant platform to propagate unsubstantiated theories that the riot was a false-flag operation orchestrated by government agents and the FBI, who despised former President Donald Trump. Carlson has also attempted to frame the criminal rioters as the victims in this scenario.
The false theory originated from a right-wing website, but Carlson brought it into the mainstream by repeatedly featuring it on his show. He frequently suggested that Ray Epps, a Capitol rioter and Trump supporter, was actually an FBI agent who initiated the violent insurrection.
In a recent interview on “60 Minutes,” Epps spoke out against Carlson's lies, stating that Carlson is "obsessed" with him and will do whatever it takes to ruin his life and the lives of those around him.
Recently, Carlson's disinformation campaign about the events of January 6 gained traction, with the help of newly installed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California.
The highest-rated host on Fox News obtained footage from security cameras inside the Capitol building, which had not been seen previously. However, he selectively edited and cherry-picked the clips. On his program, he claimed that he had shown the footage to the US Capitol Police before airing it, but the police department contradicted his assertion.
Allegations Made Privately or Undisclosed
A former producer at Fox News, Abby Grossberg, who has publicly renounced her affiliation with the network, alleged in recent legal actions that there was widespread sexism and misogyny within Tucker Carlson's program's team.
According to Grossberg's lawsuit, she began working for Carlson's team after the 2020 election and after just one day on the job, she recognized "how pervasive the misogyny and motivation to humiliate and dehumanize women was among the male staff at TCT," referring to "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
Fox News is currently facing two lawsuits from Abby Grossberg, a former producer who has accused the network of rampant sexism and misogyny, including on Tucker Carlson's show.
Despite Fox denying the allegations, Grossberg cited private texts from Carlson using derogatory language about women and sexually suggestive posters in the workplace.
She also claimed to have faced uncomfortable sexual questions and witnessed internal debates about which women politicians were "more f--kable." Grossberg even went on record to say that the harassment was so severe that she contemplated suicide.
Following Grossberg's lawsuits, Fox News recently severed ties with Dan Bongino, a right-wing commentator and regular fixture on their programming.
Bongino attributed his exit to a contract dispute and denied any conspiracy or acrimony. Fox News thanked Bongino for his contributions and wished him success in future endeavors.
The news of Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox News caused a 5% drop in shares of Fox Corp. While the network has not provided any explanation for Carlson's departure, he did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
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