Topline
Republicans expressed surprise and sang the praises of now-former Fox News host Tucker Carlson following his unexpected ouster from the network Monday, while Democrats celebrated his sudden departure, but former President Donald Trump has yet to comment after the decision sent shockwaves through the cable news world.
Former President Donald Trump, right, talks with Donald Trump Jr., center, and Tucker Carlson at the … [+]
Key Facts
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) called Carlson’s exit a “huge loss” to Fox News in a tweet, while Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) tweeted “I STAND WITH TUCKER CARLSON!” and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Carlson “was the boldest [Fox] had.”
Some Democrats, meanwhile, re-upped their criticism of Fox and Carlson following the announcement: Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) suggested Carlson’s departure was a consequence for “blatantly lying to millions of Americans and actively eroding democracy for years” (though it’s unclear why he left the network), while Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) tweeted “good riddance.”
Trump, who returned to Carlson’s show in recent weeks despite reports that Carlson said privately he “hates” Trump, had yet to comment as of Monday afternoon, but his son Donald Jr. tweeted “OMG” in reaction to the news.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—a frequent Carlson target—also expressed shock at the decision, tweeting “Wow” to her 13.4 million followers.
Tangent
Other news outlets attempted to capitalize on Carlson’s ouster. Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of the conservative network Newsmax, predicted Fox will lose viewers without Carlson, and said in a statement his “removal is a big milestone” and part of what Ruddy described as an effort to “become establishment media.” Russian state-owned TV station RT also reached out to Carlson on Twitter, appearing to offer him a gig: “Hey @TuckerCarlson, you can always question more with @RT_com.”
Key Background
Fox News announced Tucker Calson was leaving the network after 14 years as a host and commentator, effective immediately, without explanation on Monday. He gave no indication during Friday’s broadcast that it would be his last time appearing on the network and signed off from his 8 p.m. show telling his viewers: “we’ll be back Monday.” As of Monday morning, Fox was still airing promos of Tucker Carlson Tonight, including a teaser of an upcoming interview he conducted with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Carlson’s departure comes as he is at the center of several lawsuits against the network. Fox settled a $787.5 million defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems last week after it accused the network, including Carlson, of promoting false conspiracies about its equipment in an effort to further Trump’s claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election. The lawsuit exposed Carlson’s private communications where he blasted the claims Trump and his allies were pushing and expressed disdain for the former president. A former Fox producer, Abby Grossberg, also sued Carlson and Fox last month, claiming they pressured her into giving misleading testimony in the Dominion suit and accusing Carlson’s show of having an “overtly misogynistic” environment.
Surprising Fact
Minutes after the Carlson news broke Monday, rival network CNN announced that it had fired longtime anchor Don Lemon, who was facing accusations of sexism over his treatment of female colleagues and series of questionable on-air statements. Trump ridiculed Lemon minutes after his firing, calling him the “dumbest man on television.”
Further Reading
Tucker Carlson Suddenly Out At Fox News (Forbes)
Tucker Carlson’s Exit Wipes Out $700 Million In Market Value For Fox (Forbes)
Tucker Carlson Doubles Down On 2020 Election Fraud Claims With Jan. 6 Footage Despite Fox Defamation Lawsuit (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/04/24/tucker-carlson-ouster-political-world-reacts-but-no-word-from-trump-yet/