Tucker Carlson Out At Fox News Channel

Hold onto your seats, folks, because the biggest star of Fox News Channel’s prime time lineup, Tucker Carlson, has left the building. That’s right, you heard it here first. In a statement released by Fox News, it was announced that the network and Carlson have “agreed to part ways.” The statement went on to thank Carlson for his service to the network and confirmed that he has already hosted his last episode of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

For those of you who have been living under a rock, Carlson was a ratings powerhouse, consistently drawing in massive audiences that left his competitors in the dust. Even his reruns were beating out original programming on other networks. So, it’s safe to say that his departure is a pretty big deal.

According to sources, Carlson’s staff was blindsided by the news and only found out when they received an email from the man himself. Former CNN media reporter Brian Stelter called the move “earth-shattering” and noted that the most striking news was the fact that Carlson was not going to have a farewell show.

But what does this mean for Fox News? Stelter suggests that without Carlson, the network may have more difficulty negotiating with potential distributors. “Tucker Carlson became, for a time, BIGGER than Fox News,” he said. “His disappearance will ripple through Fox, the wider TV world, and the GOP. One of the many impacts is $$$: Fox is pushing for higher carriage fees from distributors right now, and without Tucker, Fox has less leverage.”

It’s worth noting that Carlson’s exit comes just under a week after the network settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for just under $800 million. And it’s not just Carlson who’s leaving the network. Syndicated talk radio host and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino also announced his departure, citing a breakdown in contract negotiations.

As for Carlson himself, he has yet to publicly address his exit, and there are no reports yet on any potential future plans. So, stay tuned, folks. This is just the beginning of what’s sure to be a wild ride.