(New York) Tucker Carlson, an iconic Fox News anchor who hosted a much-watched evening show on America’s favorite conservative channel, is leaving the air with immediate effect, the channel announced Monday.
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” she said in a statement. “We thank him for his services to the channel as a host and, before that, as a consultant,” adds Fox News.
At the head of Tucker Carlson Tonight since 2016, the 50-year-old had become one of the most influential voices in conservative America, accused by some of popularizing conspiracy and racist theses.
His Friday show was the last, and he must be replaced on Monday for this strategic slot, at prime time, says the channel, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
Opposed to abortion, great defender of the right to bear arms, the presenter never hesitates to expose his opinions in a program which claims, on its site, “the sworn enemy of lies”, promising to “put the questions you would ask — and to demand answers”.
A week ago, on April 18, Fox News signed a $787.5 million settlement with electronic voting machine company Dominion, which was suing television for defamation, avoiding a resounding lawsuit.
The same evening, Tucker Carlson devoted his usual monologues to the Democrats, who would incite young people to violence, before carrying out an interview with the boss of Tesla and owner of Twitter, Elon Musk.
At the time of Donald Trump’s indictment, Tucker Carlson denounced “a political purge”, dropping this sentence: “It’s probably not the best time to part with your (assault rifle) AR-15”.
Fox News, launched in 1996 to compete with CNN, remains solidly in first place in cable in terms of audience ratings.