April 24, 2023

Tucker Carlson and Fox News Are Breaking Up

The star host, whose last show was Friday, won’t even get an on-air farewell.

Richard Drew/AP

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Fox News on Monday announced that Tucker Carlson, by many measures America’s most-watched cable news star, is leaving. A reason was not immediately provided.

“Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday April 21st,” a statement read. “Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 PM/ET starting this evening as an interim show helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named.”

The shock announcement ends Carlson’s meteoric rise at Fox News, where his brand of xenophobia, white grievance, and hate transformed Carlson into a singular force at the conservative news network—and its top presenter. Tucker Carlson Tonight has also been labeled the most racist show in the history of cable news.

The bombshell comes days after Dominion Voting Systems reached an eleventh-hour settlement agreement with Fox News, averting what was all but certain to be a bruising trial featuring testimony from Fox News anchors and top executives. In the months leading up to the settlement, several filings revealed that Fox News’ on-air talent had privately questioned Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories. One included damaging text messages from Carlson in which he admitted to hating the former president “passionately.” 

This is a breaking news post. We’ll update as more becomes available.

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It’s risky, but also unavoidable: A full one-third of the dollars that we need to pay for the journalism you rely on has to get raised in December. A good December means our newsroom is fully staffed, well-resourced, and on the beat. A bad one portends budget trouble and hard choices.

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We simply can’t afford to come up short. There is no cushion in our razor-thin budget—no backup, no alternative sources of revenue to balance our books. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the fierce journalism we do. That’s why we need you to show up for us right now.

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