‘The End of Fox News’: MAGA World Reacts to Tucker Carlson’s Departure
The sudden ouster of Tucker Carlson from his primetime perch at Fox News is drawing a flood of concern and complaint from MAGA world and other conservative voices, both mainstream and extreme.
Donald Trump’s spokesperson met the news on Twitter with a semi-conspiratorial take that Fox News is now a beholden part of the establishment. “Fox News is controlled opposition,” she wrote. “What is happening at Fox?” added Eric Trump, noting that the network has also recently dropped his wife Lara and right-wing commentator Dan Bongino. Donald Trump Jr. told Charlie Kirk that Carlson no longer being on the network “changes things permanently,” as he was “an actual thought-leader in conservatism.”
“It’s mind-blowing,” Don Jr. added, describing Carlson as “a once-in-a-generation-type talent.”
Several other far-right figures were similarly incensed.
Andrew Torba, founder of the Christian Nationalist social media network Gab, highlighted the gaping hole Tucker’s departure will leave in mainstream media: “Carlson’s departure will have implications beyond just Fox News. His show has been a major platform for dissident voices and his absence will leave a void in the media landscape.”
The far-right taste-maker Catturd posted on Twitter that this was a death knell for the Murdoch-controlled network:
Michael Flynn Jr., MAGA-minded son of the infamous former general and Trump adviser, took to Telegram to call for a commentary boycott on Fox News moving forward: “I don’t want to see any more America First conservatives appear on @FoxNews anymore,” he wrote. “You ARE NOT AMERICA FIRST if you give that network ANY of your time!”
The Telegram channel “J6 Patriot News” also weighed in, decrying the weakness of the Murdoch family in choosing to remove Carlson: “FOX FIRES TUCKER. END OF AN ERA. The Murdoch’s fear words of Truth.”
Plenty of others were quick to lay blame at the feet of various figures and ideas. The popular take-maker DC Draino attempted to connect the dots back to the former GOP speaker of the house, who is now a Fox Corp. board member, writing on Truth Social: “In the past week, Fox News has lost Dan Bongino, Tucker Carlson, and a $787 million lawsuit to Dominion. Is Paul Ryan actually trying to destroy that network?”
In a popular post on Truth Social, right-wing country star Travis Tritt connected the Fox News fallout to the recent Bud Light-Dylan Mulvaney controversy, writing: Obviously, Fox News doesn’t know their customer base any better than Anheuser Busch knows theirs.” Jack Posobiec, the alt-right commentator and onetime “pizzagate” conspiracy theorist, picked up a similar theme, asking on Telegram: “How long before Dylan Mulvaney is announced as Tucker’s replacement?” Poso also posted that it was time for Tucker to move from commentary directly into politics, writing: “Trump / Carlson 2024.”
Far-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos was also looking ahead, turning his thoughts to the potential impact of a free-agent Tucker on the far-right’s media landscape: “If Tucker starts his own thing & really leans in, every other independent right wing political commentator is basically out of business.”
Taking an page from The Onion, far-right humor sight Babylon Bee met the news with satire. “Fox News Fires The Only Reason People Watch Fox News,” read one headline.
