Fox News and right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson have cut ties, with the network making a shock announcement on Monday.
“We express our gratitude for his service as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” Fox News said in a brief statement, that gave no explanation for Carlson’s departure. Sources claim that he was informed about the decision on Monday morning.
The termination occurred one week after Fox News agreed to a $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, which had revealed Carlson’s criticism of colleagues. A lawsuit lodged in March by his now-fired booking agent, Abby Grossberg, also included several allegations of sexism on his show.
During his time on Fox News, Carlson became a significant figure in the Republican Party. GOP politicians paid reverence to him, and former President Donald Trump granted him the first interview after his arraignment in New York.
At the same time, Carlson was a prolific proponent of conspiracy theories, and expressed white nationalist views. Jonathan Greenblatt, the leader of the Anti-Defamation League, welcomed Fox News’ decision, saying it was “about time,” and that Carlson had “used his primetime show to propagate antisemitic, racist, xenophobic and anti-LGBTQ hate to millions.”
At Fox News, some of his internal critics were pleased with the news, according to individuals at the network. “There’s a lot of relief generally, surprise they had the nerve to do it, and hope for a culture change,” one worker said.
Despite Carlson’s dismissal, Fox News will likely remain committed to its right-wing talk, with rotating hosts temporarily occupying his 8 p.m. slot.
Shares of Fox Corp. (FOXA) dropped 5% in response to the news, after being slightly up before the announcement.