Tucker Carlson and Mike Lindell on Fox News. (Photo from Dominion's lawsuit)
Less than a week after Fox News signed a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, the conservative media giant and its top-rated former host Tucker Carlson have "agreed to part ways."
"We thank him for his service to the network," the network said in a statement.
Fox said that Carlson's last show was on Friday.
The bombshell announcement makes no reference to the litigation that preceded it. Beyond its public statement, Fox didn't respond to emails requesting comment.
Before his sudden departure, Carlson's private communications about Fox's 2020 election coverage provided fodder for Dominion to argue that the network knew it was broadcasting lies to keep former President Donald Trump's supporters as viewers. Carlson called pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell a "f—ing b—-" in a message dated the month of President Joe Biden's victory.
In another message, Carlson told Sean Hannity that a Fox reporter who fact-checked false election claims on Twitter should be fired.
"I'm actually shocked…It needs to stop immediately, like tonight," Carlson wrote in the message. "It's measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke."
Dominion's massive settlement represented more than half of Fox's profits from 2022, and the network's potential liabilities are far from resolved. Smartmatic, another voting machine company, still has a $2.7 billion lawsuit pending against Fox over similar 2020 election-related conspiracy theories.
Fox settled a separate federal lawsuit filed by a Venezuelan businessman on undisclosed terms.
One of Carlson's former producers, Abby Grossberg, also has litigation pending against Fox for alleged religious and gender discrimination.
"This is a step towards accountability for the election lies and baseless conspiracy theories spread by Fox News, something I witnessed firsthand at the network, as well as for the abuse and harassment I endured while Head of Booking and Senior Producer for Tucker Carlson Tonight," Grossberg said in a statement, calling the development a "big win for viewers of cable news, not just those who watch Fox."
Citing a New York Times investigation providing a data-based analysis of the show's topics and messages, Grossberg noted in one lawsuit that "Tucker Carlson Tonight" has been described as "the most racist show in the history of cable news." Her lawsuit describes "a work environment that subjugates women based on vile sexist stereotypes, typecasts religious minorities and belittles their traditions, and demonstrates little to no regard for those suffering from mental illness."
Grossberg also alleged that Fox "coerced" her into giving misleading testimony in a Dominion deposition, in order to protect the network's powerful men and make Maria Bartiromo and her the "sacrificial female lambs," according to her lawsuit.
"This is some justice for the American people and for Fox News viewers who've been manipulated and lied to for years, all in an attempt to boost the channel's ratings and revenue," Grossberg added.
Fox fired Grossberg after she repeatedly filed court documents that they claimed contained privileged information.
"We were clear that if she violated our instructions, Fox would take appropriate action including termination," the network said at the time. "Ms. Grossberg ignored these communications and chose to file her complaint without taking any steps to protect those portions containing Fox's privileged information."
Grossberg's litigation also remains pending.
Also on Monday, longtime CNN host Don Lemon announced that he lost his job. He recently apologized for comments he made on air that Nikki Haley was past her "prime," remarks widely criticized as sexist.
Ex-CNN media critic Brian Stelter reported that both Carlson and Lemon retained "famously aggressive entertainment lawyer" Bryan Freedman, who didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is not the first major departure from Fox in the wake of the settlement.
Dan Bongino, a former New York City Police officer, Trump booster and election denialist, announced shortly after the deal was reached that his own contract negotiations with Fox were unsuccessful.
Follow Law&Crime:
