Fox News has fired its long-time host of almost two decades, Tucker Carlson.
In a statement issued on Monday, Fox News announced that prime-time star Tucker Carlson is leaving the network, effective immediately.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” a spokesman for Fox News said.
According to reports, the chief executives of Fox News and its parent company Fox Corp., Suzanne Scott, and Lachlan Murdoch, respectively agreed on Carlson’s dismissal on Friday.
Unknown to Carlson, he closed Friday’s show wishing viewers the “best weekend” and telling them he will be back on Monday.
However, after Fox released its statement on Monday morning, the network was still promoting an interview between Carlson and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that was to have aired later that night.
Fox News sacked Tucker Carlson days after settling a mega lawsuit for defamation brought by Dominion Voting Systems, of which he appeared in the lawsuit. The election technology company sued the News company for $787 million for promoting claims that election fraud cheated then-President Donald Trump of victory in 2020.
Tucker Carlson and Fox News were also sued by his former senior booking producer, Abby Grossberg, for sexism and harassment, alleging that his show’s workplace, Fox News itself, was replete with examples of misogyny.
Her lawsuit claims include mocked-up photographic images depicting then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “in a bathing suit revealing her cleavage” and that staffers were polled — on two separate occasions — on which of two female candidates for Michigan governor they would rather have sex with.
“Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News is, in part, an admission of the systemic lying, bullying, and conspiracy-mongering claimed by our client. Mr. Carlson and his subordinates remain individual defendants in the S.D.N.Y. case and we look forward to taking their depositions under oath in the very near term,” Tanvir Rahman, one of Grossberg’s lawyers, said in a statement on Monday.
Fox also fired Justin Wells, the senior executive producer of Tucker Carlson’s show, who was also dragged in the lawsuit.
Grossberg in another lawsuit, said Fox’s attorneys pressured her to lie in her sworn statements for the defamation case about what she witnessed at the network.
Fox denied the accusations and fired Grossberg in response, saying that she disclosed privileged information that she was not legally entitled to make public, while pursuing her defamation litigation.
Abby Grossberg celebrated Tucker Carlson’s exit from Fox News as a victory.
“This is a step towards accountability for the election lies and baseless conspiracy theories spread by Fox News, something I witnessed firsthand. This is some justice for the American people and for Fox News viewers who’ve been manipulated and lied to for years, all in an attempt to boost the channel’s ratings and revenue,” she said.
Following Tucker’s departure, Fox says a rotating cast of hosts will fill in during the prime-time slot until the network names a permanent replacement.
