While conservatives are expressing dismay at Tucker Carlson’s ouster from Fox News, liberals are positively giddy — for the most part.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took to her Instagram account on Monday to discuss the news that the top-rated host was out of a job.
“Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News, couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” the congresswoman began.
She went on:
“While I’m very glad that the person that is arguably responsible for… driving some of the most amounts of death threats and violent threats not just to my office but to plenty of people across the country, I also kinda feel like I’m waiting for the cut scene at the end of a Marvel movie after all the credits have rolled and then you see like the villain’s like hand re-emerge.”
Finally, Ocasio-Cortez added, “Deplatforming works. And it is important. And there you go. Good things can happen.”
Watch the video below:
AOC celebrates the exit of Tucker Carlson, saying: “Deplatforming works and it is important!” pic.twitter.com/vqI7Uy1ZUI
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 25, 2023
In a statement on Monday, Fox News said, “FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor. Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday April 21st.”
“Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 PM/ET starting this evening as an interim show helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named,” it continued.
The statement did not give much away as to what led up to Carlson’s ouster, but speculation abounds.
One of the main theories involves Fox News’ $787.5 million settlement in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against the network.
Dominion’s discovery documents revealed Carlson had privately sent texts critical of former President Donald Trump, including stating, “I hate him passionately.” He also cast doubt on claims the 2020 election was stolen. But on his show, Carlson praised Trump and gave air time to claims about election fraud. The documents also show the host texted his producer messages criticizing the company’s executives.
On Monday there were plenty of articles suggesting he will fade into oblivion like other Fox News prime-time hosts who left the network under various circumstances: Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and Megyn Kelly.
Beck left Fox News in 2011, as Politico noted at the time, following controversy and months of speculation about his future at the network. Kelly left the network in 2017 for a daytime program with NBC News. And O’Reilly was forced out after The New York Times published a report detailing how the network handled a series of sexual harassment allegations against him.
All three have gone on to various media jobs, but they do not receive the same amount of attention they did when they hosted a prime-time show at Fox.
And many in the media and liberals seem to hope Carlson will go the same route. But those hoping the popular host will disappear into obscurity may not want to get their hopes up too much.
Carlson has a large following on Twitter, 6.1 million followers, about the equivalent of O’Reilly and Kelly’s followers combined. And the abruptness of his departure means there was no day or week-long cycle of salacious allegations and controversy that tarnished his reputation.
Instead, it appeared Fox News fired one of its most popular anchors for… something. And the move is not going over well with his allies and fans. The company lost $690 million in market value after the news.
He has some experience starting a news outlet, he was a co-founder of The Daily Caller, he likely has resources as he will be paid the remainder of his contract under which he made $20 million a year, and he has friends in the conservative media world who tweeted about their warm experiences with him and their admiration for him.
So unless some truly gross and disturbing allegations come out about him, the chances are wherever he lands, Carlson will likely be fairly successful. He probably will not have the same influence that he had on his show, but he won’t become an obscure figure either.
