Tucker Carlson, Fox News part ways; Brian Kilmeade anchors Monday show

Fox News host Tucker Carlson has left the network, with his last show having aired April 21.

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“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” network officials said in a statement. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”

Update 9:11 p.m. EDT April 24: “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade anchored the show on Monday night, according to The New York Times. In opening remarks, Kilmeade acknowledged Carlson’s departure and said he was “great friends with Tucker,” according to the newspaper.

“I wish Tucker the best. I’m great friends with Tucker and always will be,” Kilmeade said.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Original report: In an announcement on Fox News, host Harris Faulkner said the decision was mutual.

Carlson said he would see audiences again Monday while signing off from his show on Friday night.

The host’s exit comes less than a week after Fox News announced that it had reached a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems after the company sued for defamation. The voting technology firm alleged that Fox News hurt its business by airing baseless accusations that it rigged voting machines against former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, The Associated Press reported.

The $787.5 million settlement is one of the largest ever reached in a defamation case, according to The New York Times.

Carlson is also facing a lawsuit from Abby Grossberg, a former Fox News producer and head of booking for “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” In the suit, filed last month in federal court in New York, Grossberg says she faced sexism and anti-Semitism in the workplace. Also named in the lawsuit are the Fox Corporation, Fox News Network and company executives.

Carlson’s executive producer, Justin Wells, is also leaving Fox News, The Washington Post reported, citing an unidentified source. Wells was also named in Grossberg’s lawsuit.

Carlson has hosted Fox News’s flagship primetime cable program, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” since 2016. The show was consistently ranked as one of the top cable news shows on air, reaching nearly 4.2 million viewers in the week ending April 2, according to Nielson ratings.

As the search for a new primetime host commences, Fox News Media will air “Fox News Tonight” in Carlson’s previous timeslot. The network’s personalities will take turns hosting the show.

Carlson joined the network as a contributor in 2009.

News of Carlson’s departure came the same day that CNN announced it had parted ways with host Don Lemon.

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