A major face of cable news is departing, effective immediately. Tucker Carlson, host of Fox News' 8 PM anchor Tucker Carlson Tonight, has departed the right-leaning cable news network after six and a half years of anchoring the series and nearly fourteen years at the company overall. Carlson's program has consistently been the top-rated on all of cable news, with roughly three million viewers tuning in per night as of 2023. The exit comes as a shock, with the host not getting a pre-announced sendoff. His final show was Friday, an uneventful exit for a top name in cable news over the years. In Carlson's slot, the network will air Fox News Tonight, featuring rotating guest hosts until a permanent anchor is named to lead off their primetime lineup. Making the news even more shocking is the fact that Carlson signed a new deal with Fox News just two years ago, which included an increase in Carlson-produced content for Fox News and their streamer, Fox Nation, content that included the daytime program Tucker Carlson Today. Fox News has not announced any reason for the exit, simply saying that they agreed to "part ways," though the network has recently come under scrutiny amid a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems, with Carlson being named in the suit.
Carlson is not the only major name on cable news that's on his way out today, as CNN's Don Lemon has also delivered his final broadcast. The controversy-plagued anchor announced his firing today via Twitter, after sixteen news with CNN. Lemon hosted a nightly talk show from ten to midnight for eight years before that show ended in 2022. He moved on to the network's morning program CNN This Morning later that year. Comments made two months ago about ex-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley that were labeled as misogynistic led to outrage, and a further scandal in which Lemon was accused of having a history of making misogynistic comments to his colleagues. CNN has not named a reason for his firing, though the network has undergone changes as of late due to new management.
What do you think of this news? Are you surprised to see Carlson exit his top-rated series and Don Lemon out at CNN? Let us know in the comments!
