From 4h ago
Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch ordered Tucker Carlson’s firing over a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer on his show, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Murdoch was also “concerned” about Carlson’s insistence that undercover government agents were involved in the January 6 insurrection, an allegation that has no factual basis, according to the Times.
In March, Abby Grossberg, a producer who formerly worked on Carlson’s show, filed a suit saying that lawyers for the network “coached” and “intimidated” her into giving misleading testimony in the lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. She also alleged a culture of sexism and misogyny at the network, and that executives tried to blame her and host Maria Bartiromo for the airing of 2020 election conspiracy theories.
While the Times reports that the dismissal wasn’t related to the Dominion lawsuit, it notes that comments made about managers at the network, which were revealed in the case’s discovery process “may have also played a role” in his ousting.
Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, reportedly fired on the orders of company chairman Rupert Murdoch over a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer. Shortly after the popular conservative commentator’s downfall was announced, CNN said longtime host Don Lemon was leaving their employ. He, too, said he’d been fired. It’s a big day of news for the media world, and also apparently a coincidence.
Here’s more to know about today’s events:
Lemon’s ouster came weeks after he apologized for a sexist remark about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. She was clearly pleased by the anchor’s dismissal.
CNN has taken issue with how Lemon described his firing.
News of Carlson’s departure was greeted with cheers by panelists on The View, a show that’s been critical of him in the past.
The Fulton County district attorney investigating whether Trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election said she will be announcing charges this summer.
The Georgia district attorney investigating whether Trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election said she will be announcing charges this summer.
Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis sent a letter to law enforcement asking them to ready “heightened security and preparedness” for when she announces the charges, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.
In communications with law enforcement, Willis said the criminal indictments could come sometime between 11 July and 1 September.
Shocked reactions are pouring in across social media on the abrupt departure of Tucker Carlson from Fox News, with the network announcing that the prominent far-right television host is leaving the channel.
Many were surprised by the announcement given the popularity that Carlson enjoyed at Fox as well as his being the highest-rated host on cable television.
“Wow,” tweeted the New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused Carlson and other Fox pundits of inciting violence during an MSNBC interview that aired on Sunday.
Some remained skeptical that Carlson’s departure from Fox would be the end of his career despite critics who called out his show as racist and inaccurate.
“I’d like to think Tucker Carlson’s departure is the end of an era, but I’m quite certain it’s the beginning of his political career,” the founder of gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts, tweeted.
Several conservative pundits took to social media to express their displeasure at the announcement.
“I STAND WITH TUCKER CARLSON!” the far-right Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert tweeted.
Donald Trump Jr, the son of former president Donald Trump, tweeted his reaction to Carlson’s departure news. The tweet read: “Confirmed: Tucker Carlson out at Fox News. OMG.”
Where might Tucker Carlson go next?
He’s already come and gone from Fox News’s principal competitors CNN and MSNBC, and given the hardening of his conservative views in recent years and particularly since Donald Trump took office, it would be a surprise if either rehired him.
There are, of course, competitors to Fox in the conservative broadcast world, like Newsmax and One America News Network (OANN). In its coverage of Carlson’s departure, OANN included this line: “One America News founder and CEO Robert Herring would like to extend an invitation to Carlson to meet for negotiation to become a part of the OAN team.”
And if that doesn’t work out for him, Carlson has another lead. State-run outlet Russia Today has also expressed interest in the newly unemployed commentator:
The Guardian’s Maanvi Singh is taking over the blog now to keep you abreast of the latest news on this developing story.
Marjorie Taylor Greene reacted to Fox News’s reported firing of Tucker Carlson by comparing him to … herself.
In the previous Congress, Democrats voted to boot Greene from her committee assignments over her hostile behavior towards other lawmakers. That left Greene with a lot of free time that she didn’t waste. In a tweet, she implied Carlson could do the same:
Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, reportedly fired on the orders of company chairman Rupert Murdoch over a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer. Shortly after the popular conservative commentator’s downfall was announced, CNN said longtime host Don Lemon was leaving their employ. He, too, said he’d been fired. It’s a big day of news for the media world, and also apparently a coincidence.
Here’s more to know about today’s events:
Lemon’s ouster came weeks after he apologized for a sexist remark about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. She was clearly pleased by the anchor’s dismissal.
CNN has taken issue with how Lemon described his firing.
News of Carlson’s departure was greeted with cheers by panelists on The View, a show that’s been critical of him in the past.
The twin firings of Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson have shaken the world of broadcast news, but are apparently coincidences, veteran media reporter Brian Stelter says:
Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch ordered Tucker Carlson’s firing over a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former producer on his show, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Murdoch was also “concerned” about Carlson’s insistence that undercover government agents were involved in the January 6 insurrection, an allegation that has no factual basis, according to the Times.
In March, Abby Grossberg, a producer who formerly worked on Carlson’s show, filed a suit saying that lawyers for the network “coached” and “intimidated” her into giving misleading testimony in the lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. She also alleged a culture of sexism and misogyny at the network, and that executives tried to blame her and host Maria Bartiromo for the airing of 2020 election conspiracy theories.
While the Times reports that the dismissal wasn’t related to the Dominion lawsuit, it notes that comments made about managers at the network, which were revealed in the case’s discovery process “may have also played a role” in his ousting.
Here’s another entry in the correlation does not equal causation file.
Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News came days after its parent company paid a major settlement to Dominion Voting Systems to settle its defamation lawsuit stemming from false claims of fraud the network aired after the 2020 election. Carlson, among other Fox personalities, made these statements.
So what does Dominion have to say about Carlson’s exit? Not much, as Axios found out when they inquired:
CNN is disputing Don Lemon’s statement that the network’s management would not meet with him to inform him of his departure:
Here’s the moment when CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy announced the end of Lemon’s time at the network:
About two months ago, Don Lemon said the following on CNN: “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, and 30s, and maybe 40s – that’s not according to me.”
Today, Lemon said he’d been fired, and Haley, a Republican candidate for president wasted no time in twisting the knife:
Correlation is not causation, but 60 Minutes, the long-running CBS news magazine, is pointing out that Tucker Carlson left Fox News hours after appearing in one of their stories.
On Sunday evening, 60 Minutes broadcast an interview with Ray Epps, a Trump supporter from Arizona whom Carlson has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, was an undercover FBI agent during the January 6 insurrection. Epps told the program Carlson’s statements have transformed his life, and 60 Minutes was quick to remind viewers of the connection after news broke that Carlson was going off air. Here are the tweets:
Back to the conservative news earthquake that is Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News, he’s not the only prominent conservative to leave the network in recent days.
Last week, Dan Bongino announced he was exiting Fox, after he wasn’t able to come to terms on a new contract. A former secret service agent, Bongino hosted a Saturday evening show called “Unfiltered”, and another called “Canceled in the USA” on streaming service Fox Nation.
Carlson’s departure clearly took Bongino by surprise:
CNN host Don Lemon says he has been fired from CNN after 17 years with the network:
Chris Licht, the chief executive of the network, confirmed Lemon’s departure in a statement, without detailing the circumstance.
In February, Licht rebuked Lemon for sexist on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
Tucker Carlson’s departure is, among other things, a business story.
Fox Corporation – the parent company of Fox News – has seen its share value drop by about 4% on Wall Street after news broke of Carlson’s exit.
Nothing appeared amiss when Tucker Carlson ended his broadcast on Friday – which turned out to be his last show on Fox News.
He was chowing down on pizza and told his viewers to expect him back on Monday. Here’s a clip, courtesy of veteran TV watcher Aaron Rupar:
Fox News host Harris Faulkner soberly broke the story of Tucker Carlson’s departure to the network’s viewers:
Over at The View, an ABC show whose panelists have in the past shown little love for Carlson, they were openly stoked to hear the news:
Former media reporter for CNN and the New York Times Brian Stelter shared some thought about the implications of Tucker Carlson’s dramatic exit from Fox News:
Source: US Politics - theguardian.com
