Tucker Carlson, the most influential conservative voice on Fox News, departed from the network the same night that Don Lemon was also terminated – now, in the week following these firings, the state of national news could be in flux as these two personalities find solace in each other.
Carlson, who hosted his own show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," for over five years, has been a controversial figure during his time at Fox News. His segments often drew criticism for their content and tone. He has been accused of discussing conspiracy theories as if they were fact and inflammatory statements, particularly regarding immigration and race. Despite this, Fox has lost more than 1.3 million viewers since Carlson's departure, tanking ratings.
Lemon's departure, on the other hand, came as a bit more of a surprise. While substantially fewer viewers watched Lemon's program on CNN, he had worked for the network for more than 17 years. Outlets like MSNBC have cited that sexism allegations were why Lemon was terminated, but those claims have not been verified by any news outlet or by Lemon himself.
Lemon and Carlson's departures come at a time of transition for cable news, which has seen a shift in its programming and leadership in recent years. Fox News has been under fire for its coverage of 2020's presidential election and its aftermath leading to its recent court case with Dominion. And CNN has frequently been criticized for misinformation about the rate of people of color (POC) involved in police shootings, COVID death rates, and other liberal talking points. However, a recent expose from Mother Jones found that Lemon and Carlson have been texting back and forth amicably, showing that despite the erring of their networks, maybe these two figures aren't on such contrary sides of the spectrum after all.
The two warring networks with opposite political views are now facing a pivotal moment. But with two legendary television personalities now gone for reasons neither broadcaster nor network has specified, there is increased speculation about both Lemon and Carlson's continued media involvement. Regardless of what the future holds, it seems that surprisingly to many, Lemon and Carlson may be on better terms than the general public imagined.
