Fox News finds replacement for Tucker Carlson
Political commentator Jesse Watters has been given the prime-time slot on Fox News previously occupied by top-rated host Tucker Carlson, who was fired from the US network in April.
Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott revealed the new lineup on Monday, with ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ moving from 7 pm to 8 pm, US Eastern Time. The shows hosted by Laura Ingraham and Greg Gutfeld will move to 7 pm and 10 pm respectively.
The news schedule, which will take effect on July 17, will “ensure our viewers have access to unrivaled coverage from our best-in-class team for years to come,” Scott said.
The network lost nearly a third of its overall primetime viewership in the month after Fox scrapped ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’, the most-watched cable news show in the US at the time of its cancellation. Carlson’s former spot has since been occupied by rotating hosts.
Carlson and Fox parted ways shortly after the conservative network reached a nearly $800-million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, which accused the network of spreading lies about the performance of its voting machines during the 2020 US presidential election.
Fox denied that it had fired Carlson because of the Dominion lawsuit, but did not disclose the exact reasons behind the decision to cut ties with its most popular host.
Carlson is a vocal critic of President Joe Biden and the “woke” culture, and has frequently attacked and mocked both Democrat and Republican “establishment.” Opponents have accused him of spreading “racist” views and disinformation. After leaving Fox, Carlson has launched a political commentary show on Twitter.
