Fox News announced on Monday that it has parted ways with major opinion host Tucker Carlson. Not long after this announcement, CNN announced that it had fired its own opinion host, Don Lemon.
“Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” Fox wrote in a statement breaking the news. “We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”
Shocking news from Fox: Tucker Carlson is out at the network. pic.twitter.com/NWfxQMCw3h
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) April 24, 2023
According to The Christian Post, the network added that the episode of Carlson’s show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, that aired on Friday, April 21, would be the last. Fox News Tonight will replace Carlson’s show and will air live with a rotation of “FOX News personalities” helming it up “until a new host is named.”
Carlson’s show became one of the top-rated primetime shows on Fox News, drawing in more than 3 million nightly viewers. According to Reuters, Fox News is also the most-watched U.S. cable news network. Carlson joined the primetime slot in November 2016.
The decision comes after Fox News settled a $767.5 million lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems due to the network’s 2020 election coverage that claimed Dominion rigged the votes in the 2020 election in favor of President Joe Biden.
Several hours after Fox announced Carlson’s departure, CNN announced that it had “parted ways” with longtime opinion host Don Lemon.
“CNN and Don have parted ways,” CNN said in a statement. “Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years. We wish him well and will be cheering him on in his future endeavors.”
Lemon claims the network did not inform him of his departure. CNN has denied this claim.
"At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network," Lemon tweeted on Monday.
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) April 24, 2023
Lemon recently came under fire after he contended that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime,” and too old to run for president in 2024.
“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” Lemon told his former co-hosts during a February broadcast on CNN This Morning.
“When a woman is considered to be in her prime — in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s,” he added.
He later apologized and said he regretted his "inartful and irrelevant" remarks, CBN News reports.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Janos Kummer/Stringer, ©Getty Images/Cindy Ord/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
