Fox News’ sudden, unexpected and unexplained Monday firing of star host Tucker Carlson is a seismic event in U.S. politics and media. The rationale for ousting the most powerful commentator in right-wing media remains obscure. But whatever the reason, the move leaves Fox in an unusually vulnerable position. By cutting ties with its most prominent figure, Fox has exposed the weakness in its business model: The network’s viewers demand increasingly extreme and irresponsible content that its advertisers and other partners are loath to support. And Fox has revealed this flaw at the worst possible time for the channel.
Carlson has demonstrated a gift for Fox’s core competency of keeping viewers from changing the channel by making them angry, aggrieved and afraid. He reportedly scrutinized Fox’s “minute-by-minute” ratings data for his program, helping him to maximize ratings by creating the most potent possible blend of demagoguery and resentment.
The result was record viewership and immense influence within the right-wing movement and the Republican Party. The show served as a conveyor belt moving toxic narratives and extremist personalities from the right’s fringes to its mainstream. Conspiracy theories like the purported “great replacement” of white Americans, unsafe Covid-19 vaccines and government incitement of the Jan. 6 insurrection, which originated in internet fever swamps, were mainstreamed by Carlson’s show, quickly becoming viewed as acceptable within the GOP ranks. So did the blood-and-soil nationalism of European autocracy, which he promoted.
Carlson’s defenestration damages Fox’s hegemony over conservative media.
Carlson’s unusually potent personal brand proved valuable for Fox. When the network suffered a post-election ratings swoon as it took fire from the right for insufficiently supporting Donald Trump, its executives responded by making Carlson its new face. He became the linchpin of Fox’s online expansion, garnering a…
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