He’s out. Fox News confirmed that Tucker Carlson has left the network after more than a decade.
“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,” a statement read on Monday, April 24.
The network noted that the anchor’s last episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight aired on Friday, April 21. Fox News Tonight will air in the newly vacant time slot with rotating personalities until a new host is named. According to NBC, Carlson, 53, signed off Friday’s episode stating he would be back on the air on Monday.
Carlson got his start when he served as a cohost on CNN’s Crossfire from 2000 to 2005. The California native moved to MSNBC later that year to host the primetime program Tucker until 2008. He transitioned to Fox News as a political analyst in 2009.
After nearly a decade at the cable news network, Carlson took over Megyn Kelly’s coveted time slot in 2017. (Kelly, 52, for her part, signed 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,” former 21st Century Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch said in a statement at the time. “Viewers have overwhelmingly responded to the show, and we look forward to him being a part of Fox News’ powerful prime-time lineup.”
Carlson’s surprising departure comes less than a week after Fox News Channel reached a settlement in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion claimed they were owed damages due to Fox News knowingly airing false claims about their role in the 2020 election. Carlson, for his part, was among the hosts and executives that were questioned as part of the lawsuit.
According to Dominion’s attorney, Justin Nelson, the case was settled for $787.5 million.
Fox, meanwhile, addressed the legal settlement in a statement earlier this month, which read, “We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”
Carlson has yet to publicly addressed his exit from Fox News.
