It's over: Tucker Carlson is no longer at Fox News
News of Tucker Carlson's sudden, dramatic exit from Fox News on Monday sent shockwaves through the internet, as commentators could scarcely believe that Carlson, whose perpetually confused frown had become the face of the network, was out.
Carlson’s exit seemed hasty; the host didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to his audience, and signed off his last show on Friday with "We'll be back on Monday."
Carlson seemed to have no idea that this marked his final appearance on the network, prompting many to post the ominous “Tommy gets made” image from Goodfellas.
No official reason was given for the exit, although speculation ran rife, as Carlson’s exit coincided with Fox News handing over $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems to settle the election software company’s defamation claim. Other attributed his firing to a current lawsuit by former Carlson producer Abby Grossberg, alleging a toxic workplace rife with misogyny.
Others speculated that Carlson must have done something truly heinous to have been cast out of Fox News.
Twitter celebrated Carlson’s reign of terror having finally come to an end; the host was notorious for amplifying the most unhinged narratives that fester in the far-right media sphere, having generously described the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th as “sightseers.”
The hosts of The View applauded Carlson's departure, leading their audience in a round of “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.”
Many referenced Carlson’s racism, with one commenter writing: “I'm sure whoever gets his timeslot will be a Great Replacement,” another sarcastically advising to “check in on ur most racist friends today they’re hurting” while The Daily Show quipped “This leaves a huge white power vacuum at Fox News.”
For the time being, Fox News Tonight has replaced Tucker Carlson Tonight with a rotating list of hosts, until a permanent replacement is named. Twitter users posted joking suggestions to who might inherit Carlson’s cursed crown.
Some posted their favorite clips of the Fox News host’s most absurd segments and weirdest cultural grievances, such his promotion of “testicle tanning” or that time a stranger called him "the worst human being known to mankind.”
Of course, the now-iconic clip of Tucker Carlson bitterly complaining about the Green M&M losing her “sexy” boots proved the most popular; Carlson’s impassioned, repeated commentary on the fading beauty of hard shell candies might just be his greatest legacy.
One Twitter user posted a rare moment of clarity from Carlson, in which he admitted that the media doesn’t allow people to appear on TV unless they say “extreme and mindless things.”
Many lamented the loss of Carlson’s trademark frown and performative confusion.
One Twitter user edited a montage of his infamous “Elmo laugh” (Carlson, obviously, viewed Elmo as a mortal enemy).
Some warned that the celebration might be a tad premature, as Carlson could easily return, appearing on another network, podcast or YouTube channel.
Others predicted that Carlson would never attain the same reach as his cable slot granted him, as his cable-watching audience was unlikely to follow him to another platform.
In a strange synchronicity, news of Carlson’s exit broke on the same day as Don Lemon’s exit from CNN.
Many conservatives were shocked and devastated by the loss, with many pledging loyalty to Carlson and predicting the beginning of the end of “mainstream media.”
Some went as far as to call Fox News “woke.”
Remarkably, some even called Carlson “woke.”
While the end of Tucker Carlson Tonight might be cause for celebration, spare a thought for the M&Ms marketing department; they just lost their greatest spokesman.
