How Will Conservatives React To Tucker Carlson’s Puzzling Departure?
Yesterday, social media and the liberal commentariat erupted when news that Tucker
Carlson, the top draw on the FOX News evening line-up, had departed the network and his last program had already aired on Friday, April 21.
Far Left Democrats were dancing with glee that their #1 antagonist, and, with the death of Rush Limbaugh, certainly the Right’s most effective communicator was off the air.
What, exactly, is going on remains shrouded in mystery as of CHQ posting time, but we think we can pass along a few tidbits we’ve dug-up and a couple of observations.
The notorious LA Times source “people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment publicly,” said the decision to fire Carlson came straight from Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch.
According to the “people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment publicly,” Carlson’s exit is related to the discrimination lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a producer fired by the network last month, “the people” said. Carlson’s senior executive producer Justin Wells has also been terminated, according to the anonymous “people familiar with the matter.”
You can read about Ms. Grossberg’s suit through this link and come to your own conclusions about whether the facts presented have anything at all to do with Tucker Carlson personally – however connecting it to Tucker does make a great tool to smear him.
One part of the LA Times story does ring true, however, and that is Mr. Murdoch’s reported dissatisfaction with Carlson’s coverage of the January 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol.
CHQ readers will recall that Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave Tucker Carlson exclusive access to the January 6 security camera footage and that the unredacted footage immediately demonstrated that, far from being a rioter or insurrectionist, Jacob Chansley AKA the QAnon Shaman, was given an escorted tour of the Capitol by Capitol police officers and was let into the Senate Chamber by a Capitol policeman before committing the unpardonable sin of sitting in the Pro Temp’s Chair.
Almost as soon as Tucker Carlson’s segment on Mr. Chansley aired his lawyer vowed legal action and he was given early release from his four-year prison sentence.
Tucker promised more exposés from the once secret tapes, but after the Chansley segment aired there was one more rather bland segment and the whole promised series was quietly abandoned.
As our friend Seth Keshel put it: Carlson Flew Too Close to the Sun on J6
Carlson has made headlines recently by showing videos that refute the government’s narrative on the so-called January 6 insurrection. This, of course, highlighted the fact that the United States government is holding political prisoners in indefinite confinement without a speedy trial to face what should be minor charges, at worst. Fox News appears to be state-run media in this regard.
You may or may not agree with Captain K’s characterization of FOX as “state-run” media, but it is most certainly Establishment Bush Republican-run media at the very top.
And nothing makes Establishment Republicans more uncomfortable than talking about the spiritual war that is gripping America right now (or rather the spiritual war that they have been ignoring for several decades) and Tucker Carlson has been unabashed in calling evil what it is, most recently and eloquently at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary.
Now to tee-up the important part of this whole story. Democrats and their allies in the Leftwing establishment media let out whoops (or Whoopies) of joy when the news came through that Tucker was out at FOX, but what they don’t understand is that the conservative movement pre-dated FOX, Rush, Tucker, etc. and it will go on whether FOX is on the air or not. Because conservatives created FOX, not the other way around.
FOX grew to the ratings juggernaut it was as of the close of Tucker’s last broadcast on the strength of Roger Ailes’s genius for audience identification and his early grasp that the 500-channel information super highway of the new cable TV media offered an opportunity to reach an unserved portion of the market – political conservatives.
The conservative market was there, and FOX stepped in to serve it. When FOX stops serving it, the conservatives who watch cable TV will move on to another media outlet.
Indeed, the conservative movement grew and thrived when there were only three television networks – and they were all against us – and Tucker’s departure from FOX may very well be – in a perverse way – a positive step for conservative media.
As our friend Christopher Ruddy, CEO of NewsMax said, “For a while Fox News has been moving to become establishment media and Tucker Carlson’s removal is a big milestone in that effort. Millions of viewers who liked the old Fox News have made the switch to Newsmax and Tucker’s departure will only fuel that trend.”
Tucker Carlson
Fox News
Dominion lawsuit Fox settlement
Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch
Abby Grossberg discrimination lawsuit
senior executive producer Justin Wells
January 6 tapes
Jacob Chansley
Republican establishment
NewsMax TV
conservative media