Fox News has lost roughly half of its viewers during Tucker Carlson‘s old timeslot since the star anchor was fired Monday from his position.
Fox’s 8 p.m. timeslot, which Carlson had ruled for several years, saw a 56 percent decrease in viewership between its last two Wednesday shows, according to Nielsen company data.
On Wednesday, before Carlson was fired, his show had 3.05 million viewers. On April 26, only 1.33 million viewers tuned into Fox at 8 p.m., where Fox host Brian Kilmeade has temporarily taken over.
Carlson was fired Monday, and Fox has yet to release an official explanation for the move.
Many are suspecting that the decision could be based on a combination of factors, which led Fox’s executives to conclude that Carlson’s high ratings were no longer worth the legal and reputational damage he was inflicting on the network.
Carlson’s conduct was a central piece of the defamation lawsuit brought by voting technology firm Dominion against Fox for the network’s support of false claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Fox settled the case for roughly $787 million earlier this month.
Smartmatic, another voting machine developer, is currently fighting a similar case against Fox. The firm’s resolve has been deepened by the conclusion of the Dominion case – claiming afterward that it will not accept a smaller settlement than Dominion and would demand a formal retraction from Fox.
Fox is also facing legal scrutiny from former Tucker Carlson Tonight producer Abby Grossberg, who alleges that the company “coerced” her into spreading misleading information about the 2020 election. She also alleges that Carlson himself was a part of creating a “hostile and discriminatory” work environment for women.
Carlson is also known for sharing controversial opinions that could be considered a liability for a mainstream outlet like Fox, such as opposing aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov even voiced support for the ex-Fox host after his termination.
Carlson has also promoted “vaccine-hesitancy” on his show, as well as the “Great Replacement Theory” which alleges that white Americans are purposefully being replaced by immigrants from the Third World to shift the racial makeup of the country.
