Fox News and controversial presenter Tucker Carlson have “agreed to part ways”, the news channel has said.
Fox Corporation’s share value dropped by 5% immediately after the announcement.
Carlson’s alleged platforming of the false claim the 2020 US presidential election had been rigged against Donald Trump was a major theme of Dominion Voting Systems’ landmark libel action against Fox. The suit ended last week immediately before a trial was due to begin, with Fox agreeing to pay $787.5m to the voting technology company – thought to be the largest libel settlement ever paid out by a media company.
In a statement following the agreement Fox said: “We acknowledge the court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false” and that the settlement “reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.”
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Carlson, who joined Fox in 2009, will not present another programme or have a chance to say goodbye on-air. Fox said in a statement: “Mr Carlson’s last programme was Friday April 21st. Fox News Tonight will air live at 8pm/ET starting this evening as an interim show helmed by rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named.”
CNN has reported that Fox Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott made the decision to cut Carlson on Friday and that he was informed of the decision on Monday morning.
Carlson, who founded the Daily Caller news site and is by some estimates the most well-known journalist in America, has been accused by journalists at numerous other American outlets of promoting increasingly right-wing views.
Carlson admitted at a Semafor event last year he “sometimes overstates the case” and “can be very nasty” although he denied he was “pouring gasoline” on US political divisions.
It is unclear whether Carlson’s exit is directly related to the Dominion lawsuit. Maria Bartiromo, a Fox Business Network host whose on-air statements immediately after the 2020 presidential election figured heavily in Dominion’s filings, appears to remain in post at the company. Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity, two hosts also named in the filings, also appear to have retained their roles. Lou Dobbs, another presenter Dominion accused of making defamatory statements, had his show cancelled in 2021.
Of the 20 statements over which Dominion sued Fox, only one was made during a Carlson programme – and Carlson himself did not make that statement.
However, more recently Carlson has repeatedly platformed guests suggesting government involvement in the 6 January riot at the Capitol.
Separately, Fox is also facing a lawsuit from Abby Grossberg, a former head of booking for Carlson’s show who alleges there was a discriminatory and sexist work environment at the network. A lawyer representing Grossberg said in a statement that Carlson’s departure was, “in part, an admission of the systemic lying, bullying and conspiracy mongering by our client”.
Also on Monday, CNN anchor Don Lemon was told he had been “terminated” by the network three weeks after Variety published an expose alleging that he has a history of “misogyny”, including by sending “threatening” text messages to his then-co-anchor Kyra Phillips. He has also been condemned for on-air gaffes including a rant in February describing former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as “not in her prime”.
Lemon said he was “stunned” by being given the news by his agent. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network.
“It is clear that there are some larger issues at play. With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.”
CNN put out a statement in response, saying: “Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate. He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.”
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