Former FOX News host Tucker Carlson bashed his former employer, calling the network "propaganda" for "elderly" viewers.
"What they’re doing is what they always do, which is just turning up the propaganda hose to full blast and just trying to, you know, knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them submit to where you want them to," Carlson said while appearing on former Trump advisor Steve Bannon's podcast Bannon's War Room on Monday (June 16) amid criticism of broadcaster Mark Levin.
Carlson had previously accused FOX News of being "warmongers" for pushing President Donald Trump to involve the United States in the Israel-Iran conflict, which he reiterated during his interview with Bannon.
"I’m really afraid that my country’s gonna be further weakened by this. I think we’re gonna see the end of the American empire,” he said.
Carlson, who currently hosts a show on Twitter, was reported to have "agreed to part ways" with FOX News in a news release shared by the network and obtained by Mediaite.com on April 24, 2024.
"We thank him for his service to the network as host and prior to that as a contributor."
The announcement came days after FOX News Media reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over its personalities amplifying Trump's false voter fraud claims during the 2020 election. Text messages released through the Dominion lawsuit revealed that Carlson, who had publicly supported Trump on FOX News Tonight throughout his presidency and during his voter fraud claims, texted an unknown recipient, "I hate him passionately," when referring to Trump on January 4, 2021, two days before the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Several leaked behind-the-scenes videos of Carlson had also been shared publicly following his termination. Carlson was cable news' highest-rated prime time host, with FOX News Tonight averaging 3 million viewers per night. FOX News Media reportedly sent Carlson a "cease and desist" letter as he continues the launch of his new Twitter series, according his attorney, Harmeet K. Dhillon.
The conservative political commentator joined FOX News in 2009, having previously contributed to CNN (2000-05), PBS (2004-05) and MSNBC (2005-08).