Tucker Carlson is gone

[reader]

From CNBC

Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News in wake of Dominion defamation settlement

Right wing primetime host Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News immediately, the cable network announced Monday.

The announcement came days after Fox News’ parent company settled Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million.

“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” the company said in a statement on Monday. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”

There will be no sendoff for Carlson, as his last program aired on Friday. Carlson had signed off on Friday stating he would be back on Monday.

The company wouldn’t comment beyond the release, and whether Carlson was being taken off air in response to the Dominion defamation case.

[KYTOP]

And CNN "parted ways", in other words fired, Don Lemon today.

I was not a fan of Lemon or Carlson. Looks like a bad day for Cable news talking heads and a good day for Cable watchers.

[EZEtoGRU]

Carlson is a sleazeball. He was perfect for FOX. Lemon is just a light-weight journalist not really up to the job he had. They should have had lemon covering entertainment/celebrity stories instead of real news. Chris Cuomo was a much better journalist…and much smarter than Lemon. 

[Suckrates]

 

I guess this is Fox's APOLOGY to America ?     I'll take it ! 

[stevenkesslar]

1 hour ago, Suckrates said:

 

I guess this is Fox's APOLOGY to America ?     I'll take it ! 

So will I.

Honestly, when I first read @reader's post, I thought this had to be a spoof.  There's just no way. 

So I think you got your apology, sis.   Although this is so much better than an apology.

The interesting question is:  why Tucker?  This CNN story (ironic I chose CNN, I guess) confirms Tucker was their top-rated host.  And that Fox Corp's stock tumbled on the news (down 5 % the article says, but it was a 3 % decline by market close.  The stock is worth less than when it listed in 2019, so it's not exactly been a barn burner.)

Hopefully this does mean, as the CNN story speculates, a "culture change" at Fox.  They will still be right-wing.  But maybe less inflammatory.  What set Carlson apart is how much delight he took in throwing bombs.  I do think the hypocrisy of learning that Tucker hates Trump "passionately" and that so much of what he peddled on TV was bullshit for ratings and fame simply created a very bad look.  Maybe Rupert felt Tucker cheated on him, too!

The other thing curious minds want to know is whether it was just a coincidence that Lemon was thrown overboard on the same day.  If there's a specific reason with Lemon, it's his comments on women.  And in his case his ratings weren't great.  But they also weren't bad, by CNN standards.

I didn't see Lemon as someone who intentionally threw bombs.  But he was someone who was easy to nail for spending too much time on his own (mostly liberal) opinions, as if they were news.  The thing about women being in their prime was a great example of Lemon peddling opinion.  Although in that case it stood out for being so illiberal.  

Hopefully it means both networks will focus more on news and less on propaganda.  It may also be a good day for women who report the news.  Who maybe are a bit less likely to say the things that got Tucker and Don in trouble.

I have to say, though.  It hurts to see both men go in their prime!  😉

[TotallyOz]

We now have Trump's new running mate! Trump/Carlson 2024

[stevenkesslar]

21 minutes ago, TotallyOz said:

We now have Trump's new running mate! Trump/Carlson 2024

What a weird combo.

His ex-VP prays for him.

His next VP hates him passionately.

Melania is the smartest guy in the room.  She just keeps her mouth shut.   (Or not.  But what her mouth does in private is really TMI for me.)

[Mavica]

45 minutes ago, stevenkesslar said:

Hopefully it means both networks will focus more on news and less on propaganda.  

Lol!  Whomever would believe the above would be uninformed, naive, or worse.  🫢

[stevenkesslar]

23 minutes ago, Mavica said:

Lol!  Whomever would believe the above would be uninformed, naive, or worse.  🫢

Fine.  I already told you I thought it was a spoof when I read the first post.  Pretty much for the reasons you suggest.  Why would Fox News actually want to be fair and balanced?  That sounds so ................. you know ................. uninformed, naive, or worse.

So why do you think Fox fired Tucker?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Share your information and wisdom with us, please.

As a footnote, I'm still catching up reading stories about the firing, and speculating.  I had not heard this one before:

Quote

Carlson also called the former president "a demonic force, a destroyer" in a text message to his producer following the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Arguably, that's even worse than hating Trump passionately.  If Trump is the 2024 Republican nominee, we also have to assume a majority of Republicans - especially those who watch Fox - will just overlook all his lies and alleged criminal behavior.  Not to mention his fun, patriotic cop beating.  And then in the middle of that his main cheerleader in the run up to the 2024 GOP convention is a guy who is now on record as thinking Trump is "a demonic force, a destroyer" ?

Tucker's bullshit and hypocrisy did catch up with him, I think.

The funny thing is that when members of a minority that is losing circle their wagons, it is usually to defend themselves.  In this case, so far they appear to be setting their wagons on fire.  This ain't good news for either Tucker or Trump.

[reader]

Be careful what you hope for...

He is out of a job.

[stevenkesslar]

I know I'm posting a lot.  It is a good time to be asking, what is Fox (or Murdoch) thinking?  

So here are a few different shots at Tucker coming from INSIDE the Republican/conservative/Fox tent.  One as reported by CBS, one by CNN.

The CBS reporting, regarding Tucker's complete bullshit about how Jan. 6th was a patriotic picnic and the rioters were actually the victims:

Quote

Recently, Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike criticized Carlson for attempting to downplay the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol ... His portrayal earned widespread pushback, including from GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who called the claims "bulls**t," and Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who said it's "just a lie" to put the Jan. 6 attack in the same category as a protest.

CBS also reports on the other lawsuit against Tucker, again from inside the tent.  This time from one of his own producers.

Quote

Carlson has also been named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed by the former head of booking and senior producer for his show, Abby Grossberg, who alleged she endured a misogynistic and hostile environment while working on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." 

Now, go ahead.  Call me naive or worse, for actually believing what a former Fox producer says.  But here we are ....

Quote

"This is a step towards accountability for the election lies and baseless conspiracy theories spread by Fox News, something I witnessed firsthand at the network, as well as for the abuse and harassment I endured while Head of Booking and Senior Producer for Tucker Carlson Tonight," Grossberg said in a statement.

I'll add what Grossberg's lawyer said.  How naive is this?

Quote

"It tells us that — notwithstanding Fox News's public posturing — it knows that its participation in perpetrating the Big Lie that turned into the Big Grift was wrong as regards it's own audience and the American people at large," [Grossberg's lead attorney] Filippatos said. "It also indicates an unexpected, but welcome, expression of contrition ...

Perhaps my most naive belief is that Tucker's worst crime, as reported by CNN (and pretty much everyone else) is that Tucker actually went on a rampage because Fox News had the audacity to report Joe Biden's win in Arizona accurately.  WTF!!!!  Why would anyone think Fox would ever do that?

Quote

Additionally, Carlson disparaged the right-wing network’s leaders in a series of text messages revealed in Dominion’s defamation case.

In a text on Nov. 5, 2020 — two days after the 2020 election — Carlson wrote his producer Alex Pfeiffer: “We worked really hard to build what we have. Those f-ckers are destroying our credibility. It enrages me.”

Quote

The pair appeared to be discussing the network’s coverage of the 2020 election, which had just recently — and correctly — called the critical state of Arizona for Joe Biden, enraging the network’s pro-Trump audience.

Carlson later added on Nov. 6 to Pfeiffer: “A combination of incompetent liberals and top leadership with too much pride to back down is what’s happening.” Fox and other outlets projected that Biden would clinch the White House one day later.

Quote

In a separate series of messages on Nov. 8, Carlson wrote: “Do the executives understand how much credibility and trust we’ve lost with our audience? We’re playing with fire, for real.”

Yes, Tucker, we are playing with fire.  For real. 

As a consolation, I'm willing to pay for your journalistic tombstone.  Inscribed with the words, "You played with fire.  And ended up engulfed in your own flames, and ego.  Sorry, dude."

At the very least, it will make others at Fox think twice before attacking their own producers and executives for accurately reporting the news, I hope.

I'll add a bit more on a personal note.  I talked about my college-educated conservative corporate executive niece in a post above.  We can talk about politics, but it is borderline.  I could always talk with my Reaganite Dad about politics, and we rarely disagreed about facts.  So the frustration for me, these days, is how many actual facts are in dispute.  As recently as a month ago, when she was visiting me, she was singing Tucker's praises.  And I'd say she is a "soft" believer in the lies about the 2020 election.  She won't go with some of the more fabulous lies.  But she'll still say that there seems to be smoke (generated by Tucker, of course) so therefore there must be fire. 

So I wouldn't bet on what impact firing Tucker might have on her.  For sure, it goes further than settling a lawsuit out of court.  Add the fact that, as a woman in corporate America, she has her own views about what it means to be a woman in corporate America.  So I'm guessing, if she bothers to read about this stuff, that some of it resonates.  At the very least, she may wonder why Tucker abandoned her - after cheating on her.

[Pete1111]

12 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

 

I'll add a bit more on a personal note.  I talked about my college-educated conservative corporate executive niece in a post above.  We can talk about politics, but it is borderline.  I could always talk with my Reaganite Dad about politics, and we rarely disagreed about facts.  So the frustration for me, these days, is how many actual facts are in dispute.  As recently as a month ago, when she was visiting me, she was singing Tucker's praises.  And I'd say she is a "soft" believer in the lies about the 2020 election.  She won't go with some of the more fabulous lies.  But she'll still say that there seems to be smoke (generated by Tucker, of course) so therefore there must be fire. 

So I wouldn't bet on what impact firing Tucker might have on her.  For sure, it goes further than settling a lawsuit out of court.  Add the fact that, as a woman in corporate America, she has her own views about what it means to be a woman in corporate America.  So I'm guessing, if she bothers to read about this stuff, that some of it resonates.  At the very least, she may wonder why Tucker abandoned her - after cheating on her.

I wonder how many of the Fox viewers bother to read mainstream reporting about recent events.  I doubt they understand much.

 

[stevenkesslar]

Again, I know I'm posting a lot.  Yesterday was a fun day.  I wish somebody like Tucker got fired every day in America. 😍

I was baiting one our esteemed posters to rebut my optimism.  Since he didn't take the bait, I'm going to have to drag in a couple heavy hitters to make the argument for cynicism.

Tucker Carlson's Exit Shows Who's The Real Star At Fox

Quote

Finding a Carlson substitute will be as easy for Fox as it was finding an O’Reilly substitute. There’s always an understudy or two at Fox who has learned the art of demagoguery — how to pander to the stolen election liars, incite white nationalists and make long-distance love to Vladimir Putin.

And there ya have it.  Nothing will change.  Some new demagogue will be hired to spout more lies.  And goose ratings around brand new mountains of bullshit, as far as the eye can see.  Rupert wins again.  As he always does.

But if we really want to bring in the heavy hitters when it comes to Fox News cynicism, why not just go to to the source (other than Murdoch himself)?  What do you think, Bill?  You certainly have some experience on this matter.

I'd like to commend Chris Cuomo for having the balls to ask the hopelessly naive question:  Bill, does this mean that perhaps Fox will tone down the intentional flame throwing and "acidic" tone when they replace Tucker?  Like, maybe with someone more "analytical"?   

To which O'Reilly obviously answered:  No, of course not.  It's about the money and the ratings, stupid.  And right now the money includes this thing about really pricey lawsuits.   If you think any of this has to do with actual journalism, think again.

Call me naive, but I actually found it ironic that O'Reilly was making this argument.  My prediction is this:  Fox will hire someone more analytical to replace Tucker.  Come to think of it, probably someone like a younger Bill O'Reilly. 

But don't take my word for it.  Ask Bill O'Reilly, circa the dawn of the Trump Era.  Shortly before Trump took Obama's place, and Tucker took O'Reilly's place.

You may not want to watch that whole "analysis" of Obama's Presidency, to quote that word Cuomo used.  But O'Reilly's piece actually is .................... what's the word?  Analytical?  No mention of how Jan. 6th was a patriotic picnic.  Or how Trump's election was stolen from him.  The controversy here is why Obama didn't drive the poverty rate lower.  Like, is that what news is?  Really?

I mostly agreed with O'Reilly, or at least thought he had a really good point, maybe about a third of the time I watched him.  Which is pretty good, for a lifelong liberal like me.  I genuinely found him thoughtful.  His rants, while being rants, were usually full of facts. 

On the other hand, I rarely enjoyed listening to Tucker.  That was more like eating shit.  I did it because I felt like it made sense to know why so many MAGA people had come to the conclusion that shit tasted good.

I picked that clip as a blast from the past for a few reasons.  O'Reilly himself noted, probably truthfully, that a lot of Fox viewers (aka MAGA folk aka birther folk) thought O'Reilly was soft on Obama.  But mostly I picked that clip because O'Reilly, as he said at the end, focused on analysis and fact.  As he said, "nothing to do with ideology or wishful thinking."

Well, okay.  I'm not really THAT naive.  Of course it had to do with ideology.  In this case, Rupert Murdoch's ideology. 

There's not much point in fact checking what O'Reilly said about Obama in early 2017.  Other than to point out that O'Reilly usually argued based on facts.  Of course, he was selective in his facts.  Examples:  He actually seems to be wrong when he says there was more poverty in the US in 2017 than when Obama took office.  If you care to compare, here's a very fact-oriented report card on Obama from Factcheck.org.  Obama lowered poverty, despite inheriting The Great Recession freefall from W.  Black and Hispanic poverty were both at record lows (18.2 % for Blacks, compared to a prior low of 19.3 % in 2000 under Clinton) the day Trump took office.  O'Reilly states, correctly, that health insurance premiums went way up (by 42 %) under eight years of Obama.  He fails to mention that 15 million fewer Americans were uninsured, thanks to Obamacare.  Or that Obama created 12 million jobs on his watch.  And the S & P went up 166 % in his stagnant economy.  Those are just small little things, of course.

My point is that 2017 is not all that long ago.  O'Reilly spun his ideology by choosing the facts he wanted, just as any debater does.  But mostly he argued based on facts.

What O'Reilly didn't really spell out completely in that Cuomo interview is that Murdoch's money problem is truly a fact problem.  To play off a great piece Medhi Hasan just did on Murdoch, it turns out it's okay if Murdoch helped push lies about WMD, or Brexit.  The ratings and money went way up for Murdoch news outlets on those issues.  And the chickens never came home to roost.  Hassan stated that, even today, 52 % of Republicans still think we found WMD in Iraq.  Good job, Rupert.

Rupert's problem now is that the chickens, in the form of BIG LIES, are coming home to roost at Fox News itself.  If the lawsuits are about lies, and the purge is to stop the lawsuits, that actually means they have to stop the lies.  At least the lies that result in them continuing to lose big lawsuits.

O'Reilly wasn't canned because of ratings, or lies.  He fell to MeToo, basically.  And lawsuits.  It's those God damn lawsuits, every time!

So, yeah, Fox will find probably find someone else who is a demagogue.  And maybe even a sexist.  (Although Megyn Kelly would do in a pinch.)  But my prediction is they will stop firing people for accurately reporting news.  Like how Joe Biden won Arizona.  And when they hire Tucker's replacement, they will hire someone who is much more careful about facts than Tucker was.  They don't want more lawsuits.

I know.  Poor baby.  It sounds awful, doesn't it?

 

 

 

[Suckrates]

For those of you missing the arrogant, smarmy, right wing extremist Lunatic..... dont fret,  you still have Jesse Waters !  

[Suckrates]

15 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

 

So why do you think Fox fired Tucker?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Share your information and wisdom with us, please.

As a footnote, I'm still catching up reading stories about the firing, and speculating.  I had not heard this one before:

 

Ruppert sent a clear and concise message that "noone is Bigger than Ruppert"......    If your employment costs Ruppert $$$$, you are of NO value to him.      Now Ruppert should go a bit further and complete his "house cleaning"   There are a few more talking heads that Deserve the guillotine....

[forky123]

6 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

Fox will hire someone more analytical to replace Tucker. 

Fox thinks analytical is close inspection of Trump's rectum with their tongue. 

[alvnv]

Meanwhile, Tucker is getting job offers from RT - just as expected

[Pete1111]

20 hours ago, Suckrates said:

Ruppert sent a clear and concise message that "noone is Bigger than Ruppert"......    If your employment costs Ruppert $$$$, you are of NO value to him.      Now Ruppert should go a bit further and complete his "house cleaning"   There are a few more talking heads that Deserve the guillotine....

I thought Bartiromo would be the first to go.

 

8 hours ago, alvnv said:

Meanwhile, Tucker is getting job offers from RT - just as expected

That fits.

 

[stevenkesslar]

15 hours ago, alvnv said:

Meanwhile, Tucker is getting job offers from RT - just as expected

Proving yet again that brilliant minds think alike.  But we knew that already.

Quote

A prominent anchor on Russian state TV said on Monday that the U.S. mainstream media had “lost its last remaining voice of reason” after Fox host Tucker Carlson abruptly left the network.

Quote

“It changes things permanently. That’s one of the few voices in the Republican party that would call out the nonsense from GOP senators, governors, and otherwise,” Donald Trump Jr. said

I think what saddens me the most is here we have an example of a father with big balls.  And a son with even more enormous testicles.  Both willing to speak truth to corrupt media power and leftist hate.

And in a moment like this, no surprise, we have RINO liars who suck up to the MSM.  They just want to spread lies and hate to undermine Tucker.  Anonymously, of course.  It really pisses me off that spineless pussy RINOs can get away with saying this shit about one of the great minds of our time.

Quote

“Good riddance,” said one GOP staffer. “He just spewed nonsense to millions of people and it had broad ramifications for discourse in our party.”

Quote

“Mr. Carlson emboldened and empowered some of the worst actors on the far right and as a result, Republicans have lost numerous winnable elections these last few cycles,” another GOP operative lamented.

That's such bullshit.  Losers!  At least winners like Kari Lake will speak the truth.

Quote

Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake on Tuesday suggested that Fox News was “in bed with the left” after the conservative channel ousted Tucker Carlson.

“It’s very obvious right now that Fox News has become the establishment GOP, which is really the uniparty Republicans,” she said on the competing conservative outlet Newsmax. “They’re the ones who are really in bed with the left.”

 

[unicorn]

23 hours ago, alvnv said:

Meanwhile, Tucker is getting job offers from RT - just as expected

That's actually not a joke. It's reality!

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tucker-carlson-firing-at-fox-news-draws-comment-from-russian-foreign-minister-lavrov-and-ostensible-job-offer-from-rt-d048ee9e

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tucker-carlson-russian-state-tv-job-offer-b2327099.html

[Suckrates]

11 hours ago, unicorn said:

That's actually not a joke. It's reality!

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tucker-carlson-firing-at-fox-news-draws-comment-from-russian-foreign-minister-lavrov-and-ostensible-job-offer-from-rt-d048ee9e

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tucker-carlson-russian-state-tv-job-offer-b2327099.html

Interesting job change, Tucker Carlson as the "Jeanine Pirro" of Russia...... Loud, obnoxious, crazy.   

[JKane]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JKane]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[forky123]

Since when is the space between two cunts called the perineum?

[Stable Genius]