Tucker Carlson’s name has become synonymous with Fox News over the years, with Tucker Carlson Tonight boasting the network’s highest viewership. The conservative political analyst has been delivering the news and his commentary to a loyal audience since joining Fox News 2009 and hosting his primetime talk show since 2016. His longevity and longtime success were two of the reasons it was so shocking when Fox News announced April 24 that Carlson was no longer employed by the network. It wasn’t just his fans, either, who were surprised, as Sean Hannity and Megyn Kelly opened up about the unexpected move.
Sean Hannity refused to mention Tucker Carlson’s departure during the April 24 broadcast of Hannity, The Hill reports, with the host saying, “We’re not talking about Tucker,” when discussing CNN’s firing of Don Lemon, which occurred on the same day. However, he did mention it on his radio show, The Sean Hannity Show (via The Wrap), telling listeners he was also blindsided by the news:
It’s very hard. My phone has been blowing up all day. The hard part for me is I don’t have a clue. I have no idea. Was it Tucker’s decision? Was it Fox’s? Was it a mutual agreement that they had? I don’t know.
The parting of ways between Tucker Carlson and Fox News Media came less than a week after the news organization agreed to pay a $787.5 million settlement to Dominion Voting Systems over allegations that Fox News employees knowingly disseminated debunked information about the 2020 presidential election. Several texts and other messages from Carlson were a big part of the suit, though The Wrap reports his firing was unrelated to the settlement.
Either way, Sean Hannity could provide no clarification on the subject, as he continued:
I guess people think that because I’ve been there the longest that I’d have some knowledge or understanding of what’s going on, but … I just don’t. For those who think I should, I say to those people, I don’t own the company.
Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly — whose time slot was taken over by Tucker Carlson when she exited the network — was also candid about the shakeup, saying on her SiriusXM podcast The Megyn Kelly Show that it was “a great thing for Tucker Carlson” but “a terrible movie by Fox,” who she said was misjudging their audience. She continued:
I don’t know what drove Fox News to make this decision, and it was clearly Fox News’ decision because they’re not letting him say goodbye. That’s my supposition. That’s not inside knowledge.
LIke Sean Hannity, Megyn Kelly said she had no insider information from the Fox News higher-ups, but she did not pull punches about her feelings on her former colleague’s dismissal, saying:
I think this is a massive error. I think this is a massive misjudgment of what their audience wants.
The final episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight aired April 21, and as of April 24, that time slot will be filled by Fox News Tonight. The show will feature a panel of rotating guests of Fox News anchors recognizable to the network’s audience.
