Fox News might still be the most-watched cable news network, but without Tucker Carlson, ratings are falling fast
Without Tucker Carlson, Fox’s 8 p.m. hour has lost nearly 50% of its viewership
Published
Fox News has been the most-watched cable news network for the last two decades. But after the network fired right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson, ratings for key prime-time hours are down significantly: Fox’s 8 p.m. hour has experienced a nearly 50% drop in total viewership, while viewership for the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. hours has dropped by 24% and 21% respectively.
After spending nearly seven years spouting conspiracy theories and dangerous misinformation to an audience of millions, Carlson was suddenly fired from Fox News on April 24. Details around his ousting were initially unclear, but recent reporting from The New York Times suggests that racist text messages from Carlson, which were obtained through the discovery process in Dominion Voting Systems’ billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against the network, played a role.
In 2022, Carlson managed to pull an average of 3.3 million viewers per night, and his show was the most popular among 25- to 54-year-olds. Without Carlson, Fox News’ 8 p.m. hour, and other key prime-time hours, have seen a significant drop in ratings. Here is a look at how the ratings for a Carlson-less Fox News have evolved since his ousting.