Tucker Carlson left Fox News very abruptly on Monday, and many viewers are speculating that Carlson had no idea it was coming during his last show on Friday. Carlson hosted his hour on Friday as usual and even ended the broadcast by saying: “We’ll be back on Monday.” This has sparked fresh speculation about why Carlson and Fox “parted ways.”
Fox News announced on Monday morning that Tucker Carlson Tonight is over – effective immediately. The network’s statement even said: “Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday, April 21st.” Naturally, that led fans and critics alike to look back at Carlson’s final show for clues about this sudden turn, but there’s not much to see there. A clip from the last 30 seconds of Carlson’s tenure at Fox News went viral, as it showed him cheerfully eating pizza with a pizzeria employee and promising to be back on Monday.
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Some commenters online are speculating that Carlson might have known the end of his show was coming and been under an obligation to act like it was not. Still, the clips from Friday seem like a strange way to end his long tenure at the network. Additionally, Fox’s plan to fill Carlson’s coveted 8 p.m. ET hour with a rotating cast of guest hosts suggests that there was no plan in place for this cancellation.
Fox announced Carlson’s departure on Monday without much explanation. A statement from the network said: “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.”
Many pundits are speculating that Carlson’s abrupt departure is related to Fox’s recent settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. The network aired many stories containing conspiracy theories about the voting machines in the 2020 election, including on Carlson’s show. The two parties settled out of court for a massive nine-figure sum last week. However, the lawsuit was not mentioned or referenced at all in the announcement of Carlson’s “parting ways” with Fox.
Carlson has had plenty of other controversies over the years as well. He has been accused of inciting outrage and spreading disinformation that helped lead to the break-in at the capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, to name one prominent example. In defending Carlson, Fox News’ lawyers once described his show as “non-literal commentary,” so it’s not clear what could be next for him in the world of journalism.
