Research/Study
Why did Fox News cuck the Tuck?
Eleven theories about Tucker Carlson's ouster
Published
More than 48 hours after Fox News’ unexpected Monday morning announcement that it had cut ties with host Tucker Carlson, there remains no solid explanation for why the right-wing propaganda network got rid of its biggest star.
The network’s press release, universally described as “terse,” said only that they had “agreed to part ways,” though media reports quickly indicated that the host had been fired. Carlson himself has said virtually nothing publicly about his dismissal, but privately, he has reportedly said he doesn’t know why he was terminated.
Leaks from inside and around Fox News have filled the resulting vacuum with numerous possible explanations. The resulting theories have varying degrees of plausibility and should be taken with a grain of salt: Fox insiders are certainly trying to shape the narrative around Carlson’s ouster for their own benefit and the benefit of the network, and they may or may not have as much insight as they suggest to reporters.
Carlson survived and thrived at Fox amid a series of scandals that would surely have led to his firing at any of the other networks that had previously fired him. He retained the full support of Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch even as he pushed white nationalist conspiracy theories, misled viewers about the dangers of the COVID-19 vaccines, valorized the January 6 insurrectionists, and pushed out “news side” colleagues.
We may never know for certain what factor or factors finally caused the rupture. But the long list of plausible explanations for why Fox finally decided to get rid of Carlson speaks poorly to both his character — and the network that made him its face.