Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News, and I say it's about time

Goodbye, and good riddance.

In a stunning move, Fox News announced Monday that the network and Tucker Carlson “have agreed to part ways,” effective immediately. (His last show aired Friday.) The statement said, "We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”

It’s about time.

Carlson has been spreading lies and disinformation on Fox News for years, much to the delight of viewers who would rather have their beliefs confirmed than be presented with the truth.

But that’s nothing new. So why him, why now?

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There are probably about 787 million reasons, though even those don’t explain everything.

The move comes days after Fox News agreed to an 11th-hour settlement with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in a defamation case soon after the jury had been seated.

It’s not surprising that someone had to go after such an embarrassing blow was struck against the network’s reputation, such as it was. But it is surprising it’s Carlson. He’s the most popular host on the network — only the lunatic circus that is “The Five” gets better ratings, and not by much.

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Tucker Carlson wasn't the only one spreading Dominion misinformation. Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham did, too

Although Carlson was front and center in the Dominion case, when we learned that he, along with Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, continued to amplify and even push the lies about Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him, allowing Joe Biden to win.

Their text messages showed they did this even though they didn’t believe it.

When Fox News called Arizona for Biden before anyone else, it enraged Trump and his supporters. When that translated to a dip in ratings, as well as a bump for even more right-wing networks like One America News Network and Newsmax, panic set in at Fox News.

When a Fox News reporter dared fact-check Trump’s lies, Carlson went so far as to text Hannity and Ingraham, “Please get her fired.” A class act all the way around.

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The more irresponsible Tucker Carlson was, the more popular he grew

Carlson wasn’t always this way. He morphed from a writer to an awkward, but not irresponsible, TV personality, on CNN and MSNBC. He joined Fox News in 2009, and in 2016 his show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” moved into the slot formerly occupied by Bill O’Reilly’s show. The popular O’Reilly was forced out after a series of sexual harassment allegations against him were disclosed.

Carlson’s popularity grew the snottier he became on air — and the more irresponsible. He falsely claimed that George Floyd died of a drug overdose after autopsies ruled Floyd’s death a homicide. He said there was “meaningful voter fraud” in Georgia during the 2020 election. Here’s an oldie but a goodie — when he said that maybe the COVID-19 vaccine “doesn’t work, and they’re simply not telling you that.”

What a guy.

Tucker Carlson isn't even the worst Fox News host at spreading lies

What’s odd is that, while he pushed false claims that he didn’t even believe, he was neither alone nor the worst Fox News host when it came to spreading lies — Maria Bartiromo, take a bow. But if the network wanted to do something to prove it was making an effort to be more responsible, kicking Carlson to the curb was a good start.

You wonder what will happen to his millions of fans, who treat every word he utters as gospel. Perhaps OAN or Newsmax? I just don’t see that happening. An educated guess is that he, like Glenn Beck, will create his own company where he can spout whatever lies he pleases, to the delight of those willing to pay to hear them and the cold shoulder from everyone else.

It’ll be a lot easier to ignore him there, in other words.

Carlson's last show was Friday. "Fox News Tonight" will air in his time slot Monday. What happens with the time slot long-term is one question about the network, but only one.

The bigger question is: Who’s next?

Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon are both out. Why their departures are nothing alike

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News. Good riddance