'Too racist or not racist enough?' Internet reacts to Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox News

24 April 2023

Just before noon Eastern time on Monday, April 24, everyone from Rolling Stone to the Wall Street Journal to Business Insider to Axios reported the media bombshell of the day: Tucker Carlson has left Fox News, effective immediately. This news comes less than a week after the right-wing cable news outlet reached a settlement in Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit and agreed to pay a staggering $787.5 million.

Carlson's departure from Fox News is a major shocker, as he was, hands down, their biggest star. Although fellow Fox News opinion hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham are popular on the far right, no one at Fox topped Carlson in the ratings department. Carlson's last show, aired on Friday night, April 21.

CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy tweeted Fox News' official statement on Carlson's departure, commenting, "Shocking news from Fox: Tucker Carlson is out at the network." And the news was felt on Wall Street; according to Forbes, "Class A shares of Fox Corporation slid as much as 5.6 percent," which "erased $700 billion in market capitalization for the Rupert Murdoch-led firm."

Twitter has been full of reactions to the news. Rewire News Group's Imani Gandy, @AngryBlackLady, speculated, "Was he fired? Is it because he's too racist? Is it... is it because he's not racist enough? I have a lot of questions."

Gandy also posted, "I thought he was their most popular guy and that they'd throw someone further down the ladder under the bus but who knows!"

Viewers who watched "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on April 21 had no idea that it would be his final Fox News broadcast. Axios noted that Carlson "did not get a chance to sign off to his viewers."

@ChidiNwatu posted, "This is delicious. They didn’t even let Tucker say goodbye to his colleagues and audience."

@AverageSavant remarked, "Firing the host of your #1 rated evening news program shows that Fox lost control of Carlson long ago. The discovery in the Dominion lawsuit laid it all bare for everyone to see."

Twitter users are wondering where Carlson will resurface and bring his army of devoted MAGA followers.

@Brasilmagic posted, "The downfall of Fox. I wonder if he’s going to OANN or Newsmax or will have some podcast or YouTube channel like Bannon. Tucker was the pope for racists." And Twitter user Mike Marquardt, @mjmarquardt, agreed, saying, "I have to think he has a very loyal audience who will believe whatever he says, so I could see him going to one of the two if they are willing to pay him a bucket load of money. He would definitely steal viewers from Fox."

@Simsburymike sarcastically wrote, "Oh Pravda, sorry for your loss. Thoughts and prayers on such a difficult day in the sedition biz. @rupertmurdoch maybe getting conditions from various lawsuits before settlements."

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