Tucker Carlson may be out of a job today, but don’t expect him to remain unemployed for long.
One America News Network, The Heritage Foundation and BlazeTV founder Glenn Beck were among those publicly eager to welcome Mr. Carlson after Fox News Media unexpectedly cut ties with its top-rated prime-time host on Monday.
“We would love to have you here. You won’t miss a beat,” Mr. Beck, a former Fox News figure, said on his BlazeTV program. “Together, the two of us will tear it up. Just tear it up.”
The offers began streaming in after Fox News Media announced that the network and Mr. Carlson had agreed to part ways, touching off a torrent of speculation about why Fox would let go of the influential host and what the future holds for the network and its former star.
Mr. Carlson certainly won’t need to scrounge between his sofa cushions for quarters. One America News Network founder and CEO Robert Herring threw out an eight-figure proposal for the erstwhile host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” He told the Times of San Diego: “I might give him around $25 million. And he would be well worth that!”
The Heritage Foundation might not be able to match that offer, but the conservative think tank’s president, Kevin Roberts, assured The Daily Signal, Heritage’s news site, that “there will always be a home here for you, Tucker.”
He said he was “confident Tucker will find a new platform to challenge the Washington regime, ask tough questions and hold the ruling elite accountable.”
If none of those offers pans out, KLIX-AM radio host Bill Colley made a pitch for Mr. Carlson to set up shop in Twin Falls, Idaho.
“First, I would like to offer Tucker Carlson a job,” Mr. Colley said in a Tuesday post. “Working afternoon drive at KLIX Radio in Twin Falls, Idaho. Some call it fly-over country, but you can drop over anytime.”
Mr. Colley emphasized that he didn’t need a quick reply.
“I do understand he doesn’t need an immediate line of work to feed his family. We can be patient as he considers his options,” he said.
Whether any of those platforms can compare to the reach of the top-rated Fox News Channel is debatable, but as far as many conservatives are concerned, Fox is the loser in this deal.
Mr. Beck called the decision to release Mr. Carlson a “suicidal move for Fox,” given the host’s influence in media and politics. Another former Fox personality, Megyn Kelly, called it “a terrible move by Fox and a great thing for Tucker Carlson.”
Some Carlson fans on social media vowed to cancel their Fox Nation streaming subscriptions. The company’s stock took a tumble after word broke.
Fox News Channel hosts were largely mum about Mr. Carlson’s departure after host Harris Faulkner read Monday’s announcement, but weather forecaster Janice Dean gave him a shout-out Tuesday on Twitter.
“Many of us are still in shock about Tucker leaving Fox,” she tweeted. “And despite what many want you to believe, there are countless stories of him helping his friends quietly, behind the scenes and away from the spotlight.”
It’s hard to imagine Fox without Mr. Carlson, but those with long memories might recall that this isn’t the first time the network has cut ties with its top-rated prime-time host.
Bill O’Reilly was known as the king of cable television before he was forced out in 2017 after more than two decades at the network. A report said he and Fox had settled multiple workplace sexual harassment lawsuits dating to 2002.
Mr. Carlson took over the 8 p.m. Eastern time slot held by “The O’Reilly Factor” and built “Tucker Carlson Tonight” into a juggernaut, the most-watched cable news show of 2023.
The irony is that legal troubles led to Mr. Carlson’s prime-time opportunity at the Fox News Channel. Legal troubles may have been the reason he lost it.
“The fact is this litigation against Fox News is ongoing and destructive,” Mr. O’Reilly said on his “No Spin” YouTube Channel. “Tucker Carlson is the lightning rod.”
Mr. Carlson has not commented publicly on the decision.
The Fox News Channel filled his slot temporarily with “Fox News Tonight,” anchored by a rotation of hosts beginning with Brian Kilmeade.
Fox News Media offered no explanation for the sudden move, but analysts were quick to point to the eye-popping $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over claims made by guests that rigged machines helped propel 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden to victory.
Fox’s legal headaches don’t end with Dominion.
Another voting technology company, Smartmatic, has sued for $2.6 billion, although its machines were located only in Los Angeles County in the 2020 election.
Closer to home was a lawsuit filed last month by former “Tucker Carlson Tonight” head booker Abby Grossberg, who said she suffered sex-based discrimination behind the scenes from the “toxic” work environment at the show.
She described a frat-house atmosphere that included blown-up photos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wearing a bathing suit that showed her cleavage and crass comments about the appearances of women, including some Republican guests.
Most of her complaints centered on male co-workers, not Mr. Carlson, but she said the host was responsible for giving the office its character. She cited a comment by senior editorial producer Thomas Fox about “Tucker’s tone.”
“In other words, Mr. Fox was admitting that the misogynistic fish rots from the head down,” said the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court.
Ms. Grossberg also accused the company of pressuring her to give misleading testimony in the Dominion lawsuit, which Fox has denied. Fox has countered with a lawsuit accusing Ms. Grossberg of divulging privileged and confidential information.
Fox’s decision to part ways with Mr. Carlson, a named defendant in Ms. Grossberg’s lawsuit, was seen as a victory by her legal team.
“Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News is, in part, an admission of the systemic lying, bullying, and conspiracy-mongering claimed by our client,” Tanvir Rahman, one of Ms. Grossberg’s attorneys, told WUSF Public Media. “Mr. Carlson and his subordinates remain individual defendants in [our] case and we look forward to taking their depositions under oath in the very near term.”
Mr. O’Reilly no longer perches atop the Fox platform, but he still holds sway in conservative media.
He hosts a show on the First TV Network and continues to write bestselling books in his “Killing” series, most recently, “Killing the Witches.”
He said Fox dropped him even though his audience was even larger than the one Mr. Carlson grew. It wasn’t enough for the network to keep him.
“It doesn’t matter how successful you are, it doesn’t matter how loyal you are as a worker. Nothing matters,” Mr. O’Reilly said. “If the corporation feels you are a deterrent in any way, and it’s more than you’re bringing in, it’s not worth it. You’re gone.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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