Tucker Carlson Breaks Silence After Fox Departure

Facts

• Two days after surprisingly parting ways with US cable network Fox News, Tucker Carlson broke his silence, posting a video on Twitter that instantly topped Fox’s primetime show by generating 1.8M views in less than an hour and 57.8M as of Thursday afternoon.¹
• Carlson didn’t mention Fox or his departure, but he used his two-minute, 16-second video to rail against the mainstream media, both major political parties, and the overall state of American discourse.²
• He said one of the things he noticed "when you step away from the noise for a few days" is how nice some people are and how hilarious some are, adding that most debates on television are "unbelievably stupid" and will be forgotten in five years.³
• The conservative pundit added that the mainstream political dialogue also omits, if not prohibits, discussions of "undeniably big topics" that will "define our future," including “war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources."⁴
• The former top primetime host’s post came just hours after the New York Times reported that Carlson allegedly wrote disparaging messages about Fox leadership. The information was obtained from the now-settled defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News.⁵
• The allegedly vulgar messages are said to have been the last straw for the news giant that paid the $787.5M settlement last week. Carlson was Fox’s top host, drawing an audience of 3.3M people per night, with new 8 p.m. host Brian Kilmeade drawing about half at 1.7M.⁶

Sources: ¹Independent, ²USA Today, ³Associated Press, ⁴New York Post, ⁵The Hill, and ⁶Daily Mail.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by The Post Millennial. Tucker Carlson delivered two powerful messages to Fox News and the American political establishment with his short and sweet Twitter video. The first involved the actual substance of his message, which acknowledges the depressing and absurd state of American politics. The other message was to Fox News, as Tucker’s post received more views in one hour than the new Fox primetime show. Tucker’s reach has only been amplified, and he will continue to speak truth to power– with or without Fox News.
• Left narrative, as provided by Slate. Tucker Carlson released a very strange video on Twitter after his embarrassing exit from Fox News. The right-wing host’s comments may seem vague and vapid at first glance, but there is a sinister meaning behind them. Fox News’ demographic is dominated by seniors, making them unlikely to follow Carlson to less mainstream digital outlets. Carlson knows this and used his brief video to court extremists with far-right dog whistles as he becomes more unhinged.