A new report claims that Tucker Carlson was surprised at his termination from Fox News.
Carlson was reportedly called by Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on Monday morning to announce the decision, with his company email account shut down.
Tucker Carlson Has Theory On Why He Was Fired And It Is Massive News https://t.co/QBAbcnEF2i
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) April 25, 2023
"According to a source briefed on the conversation, Carlson was stunned by his sudden ouster from his 8 p.m. show, the most watched program in cable news last month," Vanity Fair reported.
"Carlson was in the midst of negotiating the renewal of his Fox News contract through 2029, the source said. As of last week, Carlson had told people he expected the contract to be renewed," it added.
Tucker Carlson 'blindsided by Fox News firing that was a direct order from Rupert Murdoch' https://t.co/UtCWDaanyx pic.twitter.com/kgXL4SELgQ
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 24, 2023
"Even some of his closest staff were unaware that his show had been axed, reading about it for the first time on Twitter," the Daily Mail reported.
"No one I know was told about it beforehand. We were blindsided," one senior staffer who works closely with Tucker's show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, told the outlet.
Thoughts on Tucker Carlson (I was on his final show and didn’t even know it) https://t.co/KQcpgJGvjV pic.twitter.com/vAextAAQXe
— Eddie Scarry (@eScarry) April 25, 2023
Even Eddie Scarry, a guest on Carlson's last episode featuring an ending with a pizza party, didn't know he was on the last episode and believes Carlson didn't know it either.
The popular Fox News host said he would be back on Monday. The network also played ads for his next week's programs up until Monday.
The surprise change took the media world by storm on Monday as news spread of Carlson's end at the network. The move took place just days after fellow Fox News host Dan Bongino announced he and Fox News were parting ways after years together on the show. Some have speculated that the changes are connected to the network's recent settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over a 2020 election lawsuit.
His departure was also on the same day that Don Lemon, a longtime anchor on CNN, was also terminated.
The changes show that America's media is quickly changing as network leaders seek new options for broadcast in a highly competitive market.
