Conservative US broadcaster Fox News and its right-wing TV host Tucker Carlson will go their separate ways in the future. Carlson’s last broadcast was on Friday, Fox News announced on Monday and thanked the 53-year-old for his work. Fox News gave no reason for the split.
The news comes just under a week after the Fox media group reached an out-of-court settlement with the voting machine manufacturer Dominion for compensation of US$787.5 million (about €714 million). Dominion sued because Fox News spread reports of alleged tampering with voting computers in the 2020 presidential election.
Carlson and his highly rated “Tucker Carlson Tonight” daily show were also in the spotlight in the process. Carlson is considered one of the most recognizable personalities on the channel and always makes headlines. The moderator is known for spreading conspiracy theories and obvious false reports and for inciting against minorities. The talk show host also repeatedly appears on his show as a supporter of the former US President donald trump about.
The moderator’s text messages about the Dominion trial were made public. Carlson allegedly wrote to an official two months after the 2020 presidential election: “We are very, very close to ignoring Trump most nights. I can’t wait. I hate him passionately.” The new revelations further question the credibility of presenter Carlson. Recently, there was also outrage because Carlson showed some selected footage of the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol on his show and, according to Trump, claimed that only peaceful protesters were outside at the time.