Fox Anchors Struggle to Fill Tucker Carlson-Shaped Hole

On Monday morning Fox News crash landed into a new era of poisonous, right-wing propaganda production — one without their leading man Tucker Carlson. The network, which had long defended Carlson from all forms of backlash, announced in a statement that “Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways.”

But according to insiders, while the reasoning behind the decision remains unclear, the parting of ways was far from mutual. A report from the Wall Street Journal indicated that Carlson was informed of Fox’s decision just 10 minutes before the network made its public announcement. Now, for the first time since April 24, 2017, Fox’s 8PM hour did not air under the banner of Tucker Carlson Tonight, and things are already off to a rough start.

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In an on-air statement, host Harris Faulkner looked visibly tense when breaking the news to viewers. Harris informed viewers that Carlson’s time slot would be filled by Fox News Tonight, “an interim show with rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named.”

For the first airing of  Fox News Tonight, the network tapped longtime host Brian Kilmeade. Upon announcing that he would be anchoring the 8PM hour, Kilmeade’s Twitter was flooded with angry replies from Fox viewers vowing to cease watching the network. The irate response echoed that of prominent right wing personalities and influencers, who disavowed Carlson’s ousting as a death blow for the network.

Kilmeade devoted less than 10 seconds to addressing the matter on Carlson’s former show. “I wish Tucker the best, I’m great friends with Tucker and always will be. But right now it’s time for Fox News Tonight, so let’s get started,” Kilmeade told audiences at home.

Across the channel, hosts struggled to maintain normalcy in the face of an extremely abnormal day. Anchors did their best to avoid addressing the Tucker Carlson-shaped hole in their studio walls and carry on as normal — with only a few slip ups.

On The Five host Greg Gutfeld’s quip that Carlson could run for president in 2024 elicited a round of giggles from his co-hosts, who quickly changed the subject.

Will Cain, filling in for host Jesse Watters on Jesse Watters Primetime opened his show bemoaning the “absolutely insane day” it was, with no explicit mention of Carlson.

The only host to discuss Carlson’s departure with any sort of candor was his fellow primetime star Sean Hannity who notably kept his commentary to his own radio show, which is procured independently from Fox.  “The hard part for me is I don’t have a clue. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know anything about it. I can’t comment on something — I can comment on it and just tell you the truth, which is that I have no idea,” he said.

“I don’t think you’ve heard the last from Tucker, unless he wants to not be on the air. He will have as many options as anyone would expect to do it,” Hannity added.

As Carlson weighs what to do with all this recently acquired free time, it’s clear that his departure will drastically reshape the network.  The host was a kingmaker not only within the network, but the conservative movement as a whole. Where Tucker led, right wing media would often follow. As Media Matters President Angelo Carusone explained in an interview with MSNBC on Monday, with Carlson out, Fox is “basically a chorus without a conductor.”

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