The Shocking Departure of Tucker Carlson from Fox News: What It Means for the Network and the Conservative Movement
Fox News announced on Monday that it has parted ways with Tucker Carlson, its highest-rated prime-time host. The announcement came as a shock to many, as no reason was given for Carlson's departure.[0] However, reports suggest that the decision may be related to a discrimination lawsuit filed by former Fox producer Abby Grossberg, who worked on Carlson's show and Maria Bartiromo's.[1] In the suit, Grossberg alleges gender discrimination and claims that Fox's lawyers coached her to give misleading testimony.[2] She also alleges widespread misogyny and discrimination at the company, detailing specific allegations against Carlson's team.[3]
Carlson's departure from Fox News marks the end of a seven-year tenure as the host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”[4] He had been one of the most-watched hosts in United States cable news and was a prominent voice in the far-right media ecosystem.[5] His abrupt exit has left many wondering about the future of Fox News and the conservative movement as a whole.
The circumstances surrounding Carlson's departure are still emerging, but it is clear that his exit will drastically reshape the network.[6] The host was a kingmaker not only within the network but the conservative movement as a whole.[6] Where Tucker led, right-wing media would often follow.[6] With Carlson out, Fox is “basically a chorus without a conductor,” according to Media Matters President Angelo Carusone.[6]
In recent years, Carlson had evaded any discipline from Fox over his airing of controversial views.[7] However, the Dominion case exposed how he had been openly lying to viewers about other news issues as well.[7] Text messages from Carlson made public in the lawsuit's discovery phase revealed that he personally believed former President Donald Trump and his lawyers had “discredited their own case” about the voting-machine company rigging the 2020 election.[7] Yet Carlson continued to promote the idea on his show.[7]
Fox News will find someone else to take Carlson's slot, and it's a safe bet that this person will follow in his predecessors' footsteps, finding new and awful ways to sound the same themes of grievance and resentment that have been playing in the 8 p.m. time slot on the network for 25 years.[8] As for Carlson himself, while anything's possible, there's not much precedent for deposed Fox News prime-time stars remaining prominent after losing their platforms.[8]
In the meantime, Grossberg's lawsuit against Fox News continues, and more details about why Carlson is leaving may emerge soon. While he had some involvement in the Dominion lawsuit and other defamation cases against the company, Maria Bartiromo proved to be a much more severe offender, and she currently still holds her position at Fox News (for the time being).[9] Carlson is also implicated in a lawsuit by Abby Grossberg, a former Fox producer who has claimed that she experienced an appalling work environment while working on Carlson's show.[9]
Carlson's departure from Fox News marks the end of an era for the network and the conservative movement. While his influence may have been outsized, it's clear that Fox News will continue to thrive without him. And anyone who hopes that his disappearance from the air will improve the political discourse in this country is too optimistic.[9] When prior bogeymen for the left have been pushed out of Fox, the network has always found a new figure to replace them, while the hosts themselves have struggled to match their past success.[9] There will be a new Tucker Carlson, and it's a good bet he or she will be even worse.[9]
0. “Tucker Carlson out at Fox News” CNN, 24 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/24/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news/index.html
1. “Analysis | Why Tucker Carlson was a problem for Fox News” The Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/24/tucker-carlson-fox-dominion
2. “Tucker Carlson ousted at Fox News amid lawsuit alleging sexism” NPR, 24 Apr. 2023, https://www.npr.org/2023/04/24/1171641969/fox-news-fires-tucker-carlson-in-stunning-move-a-week-after-787-million-settleme
3. “Why Did Fox News Fire Tucker Carlson? What We Know” New York Magazine, 25 Apr. 2023, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/04/tucker-carlson-has-left-fox-news.html
4. “Tucker Carlson Out at Fox News: A Look at His Career” The Wall Street Journal, 24 Apr. 2023, https://www.wsj.com/story/tucker-carlson-out-at-fox-news-a-look-at-his-career-417b325d
5. “Fox News parts ways with influential host Tucker Carlson” Al Jazeera English, 24 Apr. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/24/fox-news-parts-ways-with-influential-host-tucker-carls
6. “Fox Anchors Struggle to Fill Tucker Carlson-Shaped Hole” Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2023, https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/fox-hosts-tucker-carlson-departure-1234723065/
7. “ADL cheers Tucker Carlson's ouster at Fox News” The Jerusalem Post, 25 Apr. 2023, https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-740193
8. “Tucker Carlson out at Fox News: What it took to topple Tucker.” Slate, 24 Apr. 2023, https://slate.com/business/2023/04/tucker-carlson-firing-fox-news-bill-oreilly-rupert-murdoch.html
9. “Tucker Carlson's Successor Will Be Worse” The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2023, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/04/fox-news-bigger-any-host/673833
