Star host Tucker Carlson departs from Fox News

Tucker Carlson, a prominent conservative television host on Fox News, is leaving the network in an unexpected move, as announced on Monday. Carlson was the most recognizable figure among the presenters on Fox News, known for hosting a highly rated evening show that had a devoted following among conservative viewers. This development comes just days after the network settled a defamation case for $787.5 million.

"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," the network said in a statement.

Tucker Carlson (53) has not yet responded to the announcement of his departure from Fox News.


Carlson, a prominent figure in the Republican Party, frequently interviewed former President Donald Trump, but has faced criticism for his aggressive manner of interviewing, alleged lack of journalistic standards, and for what some consider to be a series of bigoted and hateful statements.

On his show "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Carlson frequently criticized Democrats and immigrants, and railed against what he saw as liberal movements in contemporary America. By tapping into viewers' frustrations and anger, he propelled his show to become one of the most popular on cable television.

Last week's settlement of the defamation case meant that neither Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corporation, nor hosts like Tucker Carlson would have to testify in a trial that was expected to be very contentious.

However, various media outlets in the US have reported on numerous internal communications within Fox News that suggest high-level figures at the network were willing to promote falsehoods about the election because they feared losing viewers to competing networks.

In leaked communications, Carlson said he couldn't wait until he could "ignore Trump most nights," adding: "I hate him passionately."

With inputs from AFP