On Monday, Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News, where he hosted the highest-rated primetime show, a show full of racism, sexism, misogyny, bigotry, jingoism and white supremacy. Carlson perfectly encapsulated the Fox News ethos, as far as I could tell, which is why his dismissal was a surprise. In the past 36 hours or so, people have theorized about why it happened and just what the “breaking point” really was. Was it Fox News’s settlement with Dominion Voting Systems last week after Carlson made “violent subversion of the republic” his cause du jour? The thing is, that too was Fox News’s policy – Carlson was far from the only talking head spreading “rigged election” conspiracies. Was Carlson’s dismissal about Abby Grossman’s lawsuit? Perhaps – I saw Grossman interviewed by Nicolle Wallace yesterday, and Grossman has a wealth of evidence to back up her claims of sexism, antisemitism and a hostile workplace. But what if the reason for Carlson’s firing was something altogether different?
The mystery remains: Why did Fox News take its biggest star off the air? A new theory has emerged. According to the source, Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch removed Carlson over remarks Carlson made during a speech at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary gala on Friday night. Carlson laced his speech with religious overtones that even Murdoch found too extreme, the source, who was briefed on Murdoch’s decision-making, said.
Carlson told the Heritage audience that national politics has become a manichean battle between “good” and “evil.” Carlson said that people advocating for transgender rights and DEI programs want to destroy America and they could not be persuaded with facts. “We should say that and stop engaging in these totally fraudulent debates…I’ve tried. That doesn’t work,” he said. The answer, Carlson suggested, was prayer. “I have concluded it might be worth taking just 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future, and I hope you will,” he said.
“That stuff freaks Rupert out. He doesn’t like all the spiritual talk,” the source said.
It’s been reported that Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott made the decision to fire Carlson on Friday night. Another source, a person close to Murdoch, has said something similar to me. Scott informed Carlson of the decision on Monday morning.
Rupert Murdoch was perhaps unnerved by Carlson’s messianism because it echoed the end-times worldview of Murdoch’s ex-fiancée Ann Lesley Smith, the source said. In my May cover story, I reported that Murdoch and Smith called off their two-week engagement because Smith had told people Carlson was “a messenger from God.” Murdoch had seen Carlson and Smith discuss religion firsthand. In late March, Carlson had dinner at Murdoch’s Bel Air vineyard with Murdoch and Smith, according to the source. During dinner, Smith pulled out a bible and started reading passages from the Book of Exodus, the source said. “Rupert just sat there and stared,” the source said. A few days after the dinner, Murdoch and Smith called off the wedding. By taking Carlson off the air, Murdoch was also taking away his ex’s favorite show.
The 92-year-old mogul’s broken engagement is part of a string of erratic decisions he has made of late that raises questions about Murdoch’s leadership of his media empire. According to sources, executives at Fox are worried about Murdoch’s unsteady hand at the wheel of the company. “It’s like the King is senile but no one wants to say anything,” the source said.
VF also suggests (accurately, imo) that there was a real fear within Murdoch’s empire that Rupert would have to testify in the Dominion case and that he would come across like a doddering, out-of-it old man. As in, they really did settle with Dominion for $787.5 million to keep Rupert off the stand. As for the broken engagement with Ann Lesley Smith… we now know that Jerry Hall believed Rupert dumped her because he met Ann Lesley. Rupert thought he met some hot-to-trot gal who knew, ultimately, that the Evangelical sh-t is just a scam. Turned out that Smith is a true believer and Rupert noped out of there, then he fired Tucker Carlson because Tucker plays up the Christofascist ideology? Hey, it’s an explanation I can live with. The truth is, Rupert had hundreds of reasons to fire Carlson and it was probably a combination of different things.
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- West Hollywood, CA – Popular TV newscaster Tucker Carlson was seen leaving the trendy Craig’s restaurant in Los Angeles. Pictured: Tucker Carlson BACKGRID USA 21 OCTOBER 2018 BYLINE MUST READ: MIAN / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- West Hollywood, CA – Popular TV newscaster Tucker Carlson was seen leaving the trendy Craig’s restaurant in Los Angeles. Pictured: Tucker Carlson BACKGRID USA 21 OCTOBER 2018 BYLINE MUST READ: MIAN / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- West Hollywood, CA – Popular TV newscaster Tucker Carlson was seen leaving the trendy Craig’s restaurant in Los Angeles. Pictured: Tucker Carlson BACKGRID USA 21 OCTOBER 2018 BYLINE MUST READ: MIAN / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- West Hollywood, CA – Popular TV newscaster Tucker Carlson was seen leaving the trendy Craig’s restaurant in Los Angeles. Pictured: Tucker Carlson BACKGRID USA 21 OCTOBER 2018 BYLINE MUST READ: MIAN / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- , Los Angeles, CA -20190224 Celebrities pose for pictures as they arrive at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. -PICTURED: Rupert Murdoch -PHOTO by: Milla Cochran/startraksphoto.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Startraks Photo for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 9464 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Rupert Murdoch Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 24 Feb 2019 Credit: Milla Cochran/startraksphoto.com
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