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FOX AXES TUCKER CARLSON AND CNN AXES DON LEMON (FINAL UPDATE)

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In a stunning move, Fox News axed controversial talk show host Tucker Carlson effective immediately. The extremely short announcement said Fox and Carlson–the network’s and cable news’ highest rated host and a broadcaster who replaced the late Rush Limbaugh as a GOP kingmaker and policy-influencer– “agreed to part ways.” Carlson had worked at Fox News for 14 years.

Shortly after Carlson was abruptly shown the door, CNN announced that it dumped star anchor Don Lemon after 17 years. Lemon, one of CNN’s most popular figures and one of news’ most prominent African-Americans, had been embroiled in several big controversies involving sexism, ageism, and behavior towards co-workers. Earlier this month the show biz bible Variety ran an investigative story “Don Lemon Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and ‘Diva-Like Behavior.” Lemon denied the allegations. CNN was reporting finding some potential guests to its morning program wouldn’t book themselves on the show because of Lemon.

In the song “American Pie” the key lyric is “The day the music died.” With these two high profile cable personalities gone in one day it might be written as “The day the cable news networks’ albottosses died.” Carlson’s firing came less than a week after Dominion Voting Systems got a $787.5 million settlement from Fox in a lawsuit that charge the network and its hosts badly hurt their business by spreading lies about its voting machines rigging the 2020 elections. The question was then asked: would Fox make some changes in the face to damages and a lawsuit from another voting machine, plus shareholder lawsuits.

According to ex-CMM staffer Brian Stelter, both Carlson and Lemon will be represented by the same entertainment lawyer, Bryan Freedman.

Most analyst are noting the seeming urgency of Carlson’s firing: he signed off from his Friday show as usual and is not being given a farewell show.

According to the LA Times, Tucker was fired by Murdoch:

A Fox News representative had no other details on Carlson’s exit. People familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment publicly said the decision to fire Carlson came straight from Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch.

Carlson’s exit is related to the discrimination lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, the producer fired by the network last month, the people said. Carlson’s senior executive producer Justin Wells has also been terminated, according to people familiar with the matter. A Fox News representative would not comment.

Murdoch is also said to be concerned over Carlson’s coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which the host has promoted the conspiracy theory that it was provoked by government agents.

Carlson has called Ray Epps — a Texas man who participated in the storming of the Capitol but did not enter the building — an FBI plant, without presenting any evidence.

Epps was interviewed Sunday on “60 Minutes” and said he has been subjected to death threats as a result of Carlson’s statements about him. The FBI told “60 Minutes” that Epps has never worked for the agency.

The decision is not related to the $787.5-million settlement Fox News agreed to pay to Dominion Voting Systems last week, according to a representative for Dominion.

However, some of the comments that Carlson had made about management in communications that turned up in the discovery process for the case may have also played a role in Carlson’s demise.

Mediaite reports that Carlson’s firing was just that: a 100 percent firing that shocked the Fox News host:

A source who spoke with Mediaite on condition of anonymity revealed that Carlson was in fact shocked by the news. “He was totally surprised,” said the source. “He had no idea.”

The Fox News newsroom is “in a state of shock,” the source said, confirming reporting by Mediaite’s Aidan McLaughlin that multiple sources within the network said the news “hit like a bomb inside the network, shocking even staffers close to the ex-prime time host who had no idea this was coming,” and found out not from any internal communication, but when the news broke online.

The source did not know the precise reason for Carlson’s firing, but speculated that it was “part of general housecleaning” after the Dominion settlement plus the grumbling and litigation worries from Fox News shareholders, or something related to former Fox producer Abby Grossman’s complaint that was specifically connected to Carlson.

The New York Times on Don Lemon:

One of CNN’s most recognizable stars, Mr. Lemon had a reputation as a fiery political commentator during his eight years as a prime-time anchor. But inside the network, he began to lose support after he made remarks in February about women and aging that were widely perceived to be sexist. The incident generated a national uproar and a rare public rebuke from Mr. Licht.

Mr. Lemon had asserted on-air that Nikki Haley, the 51-year-old Republican presidential candidate, “isn’t in her prime, sorry,” adding, “A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” He dismissed the objections of his female co-hosts by responding, “I’m just saying what the facts are — Google it.” He later apologized to the CNN newsroom and agreed to a corporate training program to address his on-air behavior.

Allies of Mr. Lemon had hoped he would turn the page from the incident. But executives at CNN gradually concluded that his future at CNN had become untenable, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because the internal discussions were sensitive.

In recent weeks, CNN’s bookers had discovered that some guests did not want to appear on-air with Mr. Lemon, and research on the morning show reviewed by CNN executives found that his popularity with audiences had fallen, one of the people said.

Variety on Lemon’s firing:

At CNN, according to a person familiar with the matter, executives had grown concerned about Lemon’s ability to connect with audiences. Bookers were having difficulty lining up certain guests, this person says, and Warner Bros. Discovery ad-sales executives found headwinds when trying to lure sponsors to the program.

CNN’s dismissal of the anchor was not warm. A senior CNN executive — not CEO Chris Licht — called Lemon’s agent at UTA, Jay Sures, according to one person familiar with the exchange. Lemon had just been on “CNN This Morning” for its Monday broadcast.

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