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Since he left, a large number of highly speculative news articles—many of which cite anonymous sources—have been published.
For example, a Rolling Stone article published on April 25 that cited “eight sources at and close to the network” claimed that Fox News has an opposition research file on Carlson to keep him in check. A Fox News spokesperson denied those reports.
“This is patently absurd and categorically false,” the spokesperson said. “We thank Tucker for his service to the network as a host, and prior to that, as a contributor.”
Fox hasn’t commented on why Carlson is leaving the network, if he was fired, or if Carlson willingly departed.
But during his final Fox program, Carlson implied that he would return for the next show on Monday. The news release issued by Fox News suggested that his departure was effective immediately and would replace his show with a rotating cast of hosts.
Some analysts have suggested that Fox News may have cut ties with Carlson, 53, because it wanted to obtain higher-dollar advertisements.
“The long game here is probably the ad game,” wrote Huber Research analyst Doug Arthur in a note this week, according to reports. “The highly partisan cable news shows—on both sides—have weak advertising and questionable ad mix. Direct response seems to make up a lot of the ads.” Direct response refers to a type of advertisement that asks a viewer to call a number or visit a website to order a product.
Arthur added that “blue-chip advertising … seem to overtly shy away from the highly partisan cable news shows” and that “advertising trends at Fox’s cable segment have been weak/disappointing—despite leading ratings.”
Correction: A previous version of his article erroneously stated that the video drew 60 million views. The video netted 19 million views and 60 million impressions on Twitter since Wednesday evening.