The Tucker Carlson and Fox News relationship is no more. The right-wing host’s ties to the cable news network that helped turn him into a conservative firebrand were severed last week when Fox abruptly fired him — reportedly for a variety of reasons, including alleged misogynistic behavior. The firing came shortly after Fox agreed to pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle a defamation lawsuit, which unearthed damaging private communications from Carlson that may have contributed to his ouster.
The questions now: Which side will come out of the split better? Who will miss the other more?
Carlson has built a following of devoted conservative fans, leaving many to speculate about his post-Fox plans and who, if anyone, will replace him at the network. Carlson posted a cryptic Twitter video after his firing, but he didn’t directly address when or where fans would be able to watch him next.
A new Morning Consult survey compared the fandoms of Carlson, former President Donald Trump and Fox News to understand how Carlson’s followers differ from those of Trump and the network as a whole. The survey found that Carlson’s fan base is whiter, wealthier, more conservative and more male than the average Fox News fan.
The survey also asked Americans about their interest in watching Carlson on platforms other than Fox. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults (29%) and 75% of his fans expressed interest in watching Carlson on his own hypothetical media network. Those shares were both higher than those of Americans (26%) and Carlson fans (65%) who said they would be interested in watching a show on Fox News hosted by someone who is not Carlson but shares his opinions.
Tucker Carlson vs. Fox News
Fox’s ratings have been down in the days since the network fired Carlson. Nielsen reported that “Fox News Tonight,” the show hosted by Brian Kilmeade that has temporarily replaced Carlson’s old time slot, garnered 1.33 million viewers last Wednesday, a 56% decline from the ratings “Tucker Carlson Tonight” drew the previous Wednesday. (That placed Fox News behind its dreaded rival MSNBC for the evening.) Some fans have already threatened to boycott the network due to Carlson’s firing.
But it may not all be bad for Fox. With Carlson and his uniquely toxic brand out, the advertisers that abandoned his program over its many controversies might be persuaded to return. So while viewership might suffer in the short-term, the move could benefit the network in the long run. Either way, both brands are popular enough with conservative Americans to survive the ugly breakup.
The April 20-23, 2023, survey was conducted among a representative sample of 2,202 U.S. adults, with an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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