Carlson is out for now, but he will live to hate another day.
by Ari Paul, FAIR
Things seemed hopeless for those wondering if Tucker Carlson of Fox News—who used his show to promote white supremacist hoaxes (Independent, 7/20/22) and degrading statements about immigrants (The Hill, 9/23/21)—would ever be held accountable for spewing hate on air. An advertiser exodus (New York Times, 6/18/20) and calls for his deplatforming from mainstream organizations (Anti-Defamation League, 5/25/22) seemed only to solidify the frozen-dinner heir’s position as cable news’ top-rated host. Last year, Carlson’s show “averaged 3.32 million viewers, nabbing the biggest audience in cable news among viewers ages 25 to 54,” according to the New York Post (4/24/23).
“He’s the tent pole of the entire prime time line-up,” said Reece Peck, author of Fox Populism: Branding Conservatism as Working Class. “He helps the other shows, people stay to watch after Tucker and before Tucker.”
And in a flash, he was gone (NBC, 4/24/23). After Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for nearly $800 million over the network’s repeated lies about the company fixing the 2020 presidential election for Joe Biden, I noted (FAIR.org, 4/20/23) that the last-minute agreement was still a form of accountability for the network, even if the settlement sum was half of what Dominion sought. (Carlson’s departure took $700 million from Fox‘s stock value in the 30 minutes after it was announced. The stock recovered somewhat, but was still down half a billion dollars at the closing bell.)
Recent Posts
Iran Hits Major Energy Production Units in the Persian Gulf in Retaliation to U.S.-Israel Strikes on Its South Pars Gas Field
Take Action Now Several Arab countries, along with Turkey, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan, issued a joint statement on Thursday asking Iran to halt its…
Illinois Democratic Nominee Says She Wouldn’t Support Schumer as Senate Leader
Take Action Now Stratton said voters are “fed up” with “business as usual and the status quo.”By Alexander Bolton, The Hill Illinois Lt. Gov.…
Most Impeachable Person in U.S. History
Take Action Now In 2026, Trump’s 2.0 impeachable offenses include his use of the paramilitary force ICE against the U.S. public; his blowing up…
As Trump Talks of Taking Cuba, Havana Promises “Impregnable Resistance”
Take Action Now According to recent reporting, officials inside the administration are treating Díaz-Canel’s removal as a condition for any future…