Megyn Kelly Responds to Tucker Carlson Leaving Fox News: ‘Terrible Move’ for Network

Written by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly reacted to Monday’s news that Tucker Carlson would be leaving, saying it was a “terrible move” by the network.

“This is a terrible move by Fox, and it’s a great thing for Tucker Carlson” Kelly said during an episode of her podcast on Monday.

Megyn Kelly speaks on stage at the 2018 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Laguna Niguel, California on October 2, 2018. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Fortune)

In a press release, Fox confirmed it is parting ways with Carlson, who was its most popular cable news anchor and a leading conservative voice. Carlson has not commented publicly on the matter.

“I don’t know what prompted Fox News to make that decision. And it was clearly Fox News’ decision because they won’t let him say goodbye,” Kelly said. “That’s my guess. That’s not inside knowledge… talk about misjudging your audience yet again.

Carlson’s last broadcast was on Friday, April 21. During the final on-air segment, Carlson told his Fox viewers that he would be back on Monday.

Kelly added that the news was “Good for Tucker” and that “trust me, he doesn’t need them.”

A Fox anchor, Harris Faulkner, said Monday that the two sides had “mutually” decided to part ways. Few details have been released about what happened.

Fox has not commented on Carlson’s departure from the channel beyond a statement saying it wanted to “thank him for his service to the network as a host and previously as a contributor.” In an article reporting his departure, Fox News disabled its comments section.

Kelly was also one of Fox News’ most popular personalities before leaving the channel in 2017. Since leaving, she has become critical of the network and hosts a popular podcast.

After taking over Fox News’ 8:00 PM ET time slot in 2017, Carlson quickly became one of the network’s most popular hosts and stayed until the end. For the week ending April 16, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” was the most-watched cable news program, averaging 3.389 million viewers, while the next most popular program was “The Five ” on Fox News, which averaged about 3 million, according to data. by Nielsen.

Glenn Beck, a conservative media personality, in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 19, 2019. (Brendon Fallon/The Epoch Times)

The timing of Carlson’s departure also seems unusual. The Fox News host recently landed two high-profile interviews, including one with former President Donald Trump and another with Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk. Nielsen ratings show the Carlson-Trump interview last week drew 6.7 million viewers.

Regardless of the reasons for Carlson’s departure, it represents the biggest shock to the Fox News lineup since former anchor Bill O’Reilly was ousted from the channel in 2017. His “O’Reilly Factor,” a longtime mainstay of cable news, it was Fox News. ‘ highest rated show at the time.

Read more here…

Source link