Tucker Carlson and Fox News have decided to cut ties. The “Tucker Carlson Tonight” host’s last show aired Friday night. In a press release, Fox stated they had thanked Carlson “for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.
Carlson Leaves Fox
Starting tonight the media company will begin airing “Fox News Tonight” which will have various hosts until a new one is determined. There hasn’t been an explanation as to why Carlson is leaving. However, it does come soon after the company settled in a Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit.
The lawsuit was brought against Fox News due to some of the company’s reporting being incorrect in allowing former President Donald Trump’s aides to amplify false charges of election fraud. While Carlson’s name did appear in the lawsuit, it wasn’t his show that was the main concern. His name was mentioned due to text messages and emails he sent to colleagues.
Texts and Emails
In one of the messages the TV host stated, “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait.” He then added his disdain for the former president. In another conversation, Carlson wrote:
We’re all pretending we’ve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it’s been is too tough to digest. But come on. There really isn’t an upside to Trump.
The Dominion used Carlson’s messages along with other information to prove its case against Fox News. In its complaint it accused Fox News of selling “a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process.”
Before settling for more than $787 million and acknowledging that some of its reporting following the 2020 election, Fox News accused Dominion Voting Systems of cherry-picking the quotes it used in the case. Fox News stated the “cherry-picked quotes stripped of key context.”
Carlson had been the host of the network’s primetime show since 2016.
by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
People: Tucker Carlson Departs Fox News, Effective Immediately
AP News: Tucker Carlson, Fox News’ most popular host, out at network
Top and Feature Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Adam Fagen‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
