Fox News, which is facing a lawsuit over former President Donald Trump’s allegations that the presidential election was rigged, is leaving its anchor star Tucker Carlson. The television station announced on Monday that it had agreed to end its cooperation with Carlson.
The announcement came a few days after the trial of Fox News, which was sued by the American manufacturer of voting equipment Dominion Voting Systems (DVS) for defamation and demanded 1.6 billion dollars (34 billion CZK) in damages. The lawsuit eventually ended with a settlement of $787.5 million (almost CZK 17 billion).
After the 2020 presidential election, the conservative Fox News knowingly spread false claims by Republican President Donald Trump about rigged voting in an attempt to gain more viewers and invited Trump allies on air to falsely claim that DVS equipment rigged votes in favor of Democrats, according to DVS.
In a statement, the station said it aired the last edition of Tucker Carlson Tonight on Friday. “We thank him for his service to the television company as a presenter and previously as a contributor,” the broadcaster said.
Carlson became Fox News’ most popular personality after replacing Bill O’Reilly on the talk show in 2016, according to Reuters. The television station has not yet explained the reasons for Carlson’s departure.
In the dispute with DVS, Fox News insisted it only reported on Trump’s objections to the election results and let viewers hear from his lawyers and allies. Also unearthed in the trial were emails and text messages in which Carlson privately criticizes Trump and admits to hating him with a passion. Just a few weeks ago, Carlson filled his entire show with an interview with the ex-president, who intends to seek the Republican nomination for the upcoming presidential election.
Meanwhile, Fox News is being sued by another voting machine manufacturer, Smartmatic. She is demanding nearly three billion dollars for the alleged defamation, and after settling the dispute with Dominion, she said she intends to “uncover the rest” of the damages caused by the television station’s “disinformation campaign.”
