Tucker Carlson is no longer partnered with Fox News, effective immediately.
The news network announced that Carlson would be leaving in a press release on Monday.
The reasons why Carlson and Fox News have decided to part ways were not detailed.
Carlson, 53, joined Fox News in 2009 as a contributor and had been the host of its flagship program, Tucker Carlson Tonight. This show was the top-rated show on cable news, averaging about 3 million viewers.
This show also set a record with the highest-rated quarter on any cable news program in history with 4.8 million viewers in the fourth quarter of 2020.
“Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday, April 21st. Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 PM/ET starting this evening as an interim show helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named,” said Fox News in the release.
There has been previous speculation that Carlson might run for president.
In 2022, he spoke to the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, which hosts the first Republican caucus in 2024. Former President Donald Trump spoke to the same group in 2015 ahead of his 2016 general election victory.
“He could be a good president for sure,” Kent Proudfit, 70, told The Guardian then. “I don’t know if he would run, but he’s pretty popular. He’s got the biggest cable show in America right now. I’d definitely vote for him.”
In 2020, Politico wrote about Carlson’s popularity, speculating he could be a frontrunner in 2024.
“He’s a talented communicator with a massive platform. I think if he runs he’d be formidable,” said Luke Thompson, a Republican strategist Luke Thompson told Politico.