Vulgar Messages About Colleagues Sealed Tucker Carlson's Fate

Tucker Carlson

Several weeks ago, as Fox News lawyers prepared for a courtroom showdown with Dominion Voting Systems, they presented Tucker Carlson with what they thought was good news: They had persuaded the court to redact from a legal filing the time he called a senior Fox News executive the c-word, according to The Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter.

Carlson, Fox News’s most-watched prime-time host, wasn’t impressed. He told his colleagues that he wanted the world to know what he had said about the executive in a private message, the people said. Mr. Carlson said comments he made about former President Donald Trump—“I hate him passionately”—that were in the court documents were said during a momentary spasm of anger, while his dislike of this executive was deep and enduring.

The messages were part of a trove of emails and texts from Fox executives and hosts that were made public as a result of Dominion’s defamation lawsuit. The voting-machine company accused Fox networks of airing false claims by hosts and guests that Dominion helped rig the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election in favor of Joe Biden. Fox News parent Fox Corp. last week agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle the dispute.

Tucker Carlson Leaves Fox News https://t.co/VeXXXbGz7P

— Tom Benson (@Tombenson1) April 26, 2023

On Monday, Carlson’s famously combative stance toward members of Fox News management and other colleagues caught up with him, as the network abruptly announced it was parting ways with him, just minutes after informing Mr. Carlson of the change.

The private messages in which Carlson showed disregard for management and colleagues were a major factor in that decision, according to other people familiar with the matter. Although many portions of the Dominion court documents are redacted, there is concern among Fox Corp. executives that if the redacted material were to become public, it would lead to further embarrassment for the network and parent company.

With an average audience of 3.2 million viewers during the first quarter, Mr. Carlson’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” was the network’s most-watched evening show over that period and second most popular telecast overall behind the afternoon talk show “The Five.”