After Fox News fired popular host Tucker Carlson on Monday, Biden administration officials in the Pentagon reportedly celebrated the network’s move, leading to Carlson’s first public comments since the shocking split.
According to Politico, a senior Department of Defense official said the United States is “a better country without him bagging on our military every night in front of hundreds of thousands of people.”
The official added that Carlson “made a mockery” of journalists and “repeatedly cherry-picked department policies and used them to destroy DOD as an institution.”
“Good riddance,” another Pentagon official said.
When asked to comment on Pentagon officials celebrating his firing, Carlson responded in a text message, “Ha! I’m sure.”
Fox News announced the network and Carlson “agreed to part ways” in a brief statement earlier this week.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” the statement read. “Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday April 21st. Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 PM/ET starting this evening as an interim show helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named.”
“FOX News Media operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Digital, FOX News Audio, FOX News Books, the direct-to-consumer streaming services FOX Nation and FOX News International and the free ad-supported television service FOX Weather,” it added. “Currently the number one network in all of cable, FNC has also been the most watched television news channel for more than 21 consecutive years, while FBN ranks among the top business channels on cable. Owned by Fox Corporation, FOX News Media reaches nearly 200 million people each month.”
It remains unclear why the popular host, whose show “Tucker Carlson Tonight” became the highest-rated program in cable news history, parted ways with the network. Several theories have emerged, including one suggesting Carlson was fired over his religious views.
According to Vanity Fair, a source said Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch was behind Carlson’s removal, a move that was allegedly sparked by Carlson’s speech at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary gala on Friday.
During the speech, Carlson said politics in America have come down to “good” and “evil” and encouraged people to pray.
“We should say that and stop engaging in these totally fraudulent debates…I’ve tried. That doesn’t work,” Carlson said. “I have concluded it might be worth taking just 10 minutes out of your busy schedule to say a prayer for the future, and I hope you will.”
Murdoch reportedly found Carlson’s speech extreme due to its religious overtones.
