Tucker Carlson
Eko Hot Blog reports that one of the highest-rated US TV hosts, Tucker Carlson, has left Fox News.
The US network disclosed the development in a brief statement on Monday.
Fox News said that the network and Carlson have agreed to “part ways.”
The statement said his last TV programme was Friday, April 21.
His primetime slot will now be hosted by a series of interim hosts until a permanent replacement is found.
The brief two-paragraph statement gave no reason for the decision.
Carlson was not just a popular evening news programme presenter, but also a historically influential one.
Tucker Carlson
His shows frequently set the agenda for conservatives and, by extension, the Republican Party, and he was one of the left’s top villains.
The announcement comes just days after Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit from the voting machine company Dominion over its coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
In the lawsuit, Dominion argued that its business was harmed by Fox spreading false claims its machines were rigged against now-former president Donald Trump.
The case prompted disclosures of text messages that showed Carlson’s private views contrasted with his on-air output.
He interviewed Trump two weeks ago, even after disclosures in the Dominion case showed he had privately said he “hated” the ex-president.
The interview netted nearly 7 million viewers, a figure rarely seen in the world of US cable news.
He also interviewed Twitter CEO Elon Musk during what would become his final week on Fox News.
Carlson’s programme made up four of the top ten rated programmes on US cable TV, according to Nielson data for the week 27 March to 2 April.
He was Fox News’ top rated host, with more than three million viewers tuning in on an average night.
Carlson first joined Fox as a contributor in 2009 before becoming a co-host of the Fox and Friends Weekend show between 2012 and 2016, the year he began hosting the Tucker Carlson Show.
Another cable TV host, CNN’s Don Lemon, announced on Monday that he had been “terminated” by CNN after 17 years, just hours after appearing on its recently relaunched morning show. He said he was angry that the network’s bosses did not have the “decency” to speak to him directly.
The embattled host had come under intense public criticism earlier this year for remarks about Nikki Haley, running for the Republican presidential nomination.
Click to watch our video of the week:
FG Spends N1.4bn on Terrorism Rehabilitation and Trials FG has allocated N1.4bn over the last…
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has revealed that the political crisis between him and his…
Army Raids IPOB armed wing Two Security Agents killed Troops recover weapons Troops of the…