New year, new lineup! Fox News has announced that Tucker Carlson will be taking over Megyn Kelly’s 9 p.m. time slot after The Kelly File host decided to sign a new contract with NBC News.
“In less than two months, Tucker has taken cable news by storm with his spirited interviews and consistently strong performance,” 21st Century Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch said in a statement on Thursday, January 5. “Viewers have overwhelmingly responded to the show, and we look forward to him being a part of Fox News’ powerful prime-time lineup.”
Carlson, 47, launched Tucker Carlson Tonight in November in the 7 p.m. time slot. The program, which is broadcast live from Fox’s Washington, D.C., bureau, will stay the same despite the two-hour shift. He has been with Fox News since 2009, when he joined as a contributor. He previously cohosted the weekend editions of Fox & Friends, MSNBC’s Tucker and CNN’s Crossfire. He also founded the political website The Daily Caller, in 2010, and participated on season 3 of Dancing With the Stars.
Martha MacCallum will be moving to the 7 p.m. spot with a news program called The First 100 Days, which will focus on President-elect Trump’s first days in office.
As previously reported, Kelly, 46, shook things up at Fox when she revealed that she would leaving the network after more than 12 years to join competitor NBC. “Over a dozen years ago I started at Fox News in a job that would change my life. Now, I have decided to end my time at FNC, incredibly enriched for the experiences I’ve had,” the TV personality wrote on Facebook on January 3. “I have agreed to join NBC News, where I will be launching a new daytime show Monday through Friday, along with a Sunday evening news magazine program. I will also participate in NBC’s breaking news coverage and its political and special events coverage.”