Tucker Carlson Exit Leaves Fox News with $500 Million Problem
Tucker Carlson's surprise exit from Fox News has shocked a lot of people, especially investors. Fox Corporation took a nosedive in value following the controversial host's abrupt exit from the conservative network, with the estimated loss of value being around $500 million.
Carlson had the highest-rated show on Fox News, "Tucker Carlson Tonight." Now, his exit raises several big questions about the future of the network, especially as it was just made to pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems following its blockbuster and revealing lawsuit.
The network is also facing an over $2 billion lawsuit from another voting machine company, Smartmatic. Former Tucker Carlson producer Abby Grossberg is also suing the conservative network for a hostile workplace lawsuit, even admitting that her former employer pressured her to lie to investigators regarding the Dominion lawsuit.
CBS News pointed out that after Carlson's exit, Fox shares dropped 17 cents, or 0.6%, on Tuesday to $29.74. Since trading closed on Friday, Fox News stock has declined by 3.5%.
However, Joseph Bonner, the senior securities analyst at Argus Research, stated that the financial impact on Fox may be minimal because advertisers typically book their slots in advance. However, if ratings truly go down with Carlson leaving, it could really spell trouble for Fox News.
"Intermediate to longer term, perhaps [there is] some financial impact depending on who takes Carlson's place and their success, or lack thereof," he said.
Tucker Carlson Exit Highlights Host's Leaked Private Messages
According to The Guardian, Tucker Carlson's abrupt and surprising exit from Fox News was largely seen as fallout from the Dominion settlement. The voting machine company revealed a trove of texts and private emails from the former Fox host and these painted him in a bad light.
While Carlson helped spread election lies on air, privately, he admitted that he did not believe them, even telling a producer that Trump attorney Sydney Powell is lying but went on to still have her on his show and have her spread more election misinformation.
READ MORE: Fox News Sanctioned by Judge in Dominion Defamation Case for Withholding Evidence
The biggest revelation from those leaked messages was that he actually hated Donald Trump personally. While he praised Trump and defended his actions on national TV, Carlson called Trump a "demonic force" and in another message, admitted he hates him.
Tucker Carlson Show Described as a Sexist and Toxic Workplace
Carlson was booted by Rupert Murdoch himself, according to several sources, which cited former Fox producer Abby Grossberg's lawsuit against Carlson and the network as the main reason for his termination.
The lawsuit revealed that women were not treated well over at Fox, and even some of the network's biggest female names have been derided by their male counterparts.
Grossberg's lawsuit claimed that Maria Bartiromo was often derided with sexist terms, with Fox executives calling her "menopausal," "hysterical," a "diva," and a "crazy b*tch." Carlson's staffers also had frequent debates on which female guests were more "f*ckable," according to Business Insider.
"In these discussions, no woman, whether she was a Republican politician or a female staffer at Fox News, was safe from suddenly becoming the target of sexist, demeaning comments, such as being called a 'c*nt,'" said Grossberg in her filing.
Carlson is still set to be deposed for the Grossberg lawsuit despite his exit from the company.
READ MORE: Fox News CEO Furious at Reporter for Fact-Checking Donald Trump's Election Lies
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Abby Grossberg: Tucker Carlson made 'my life a living hell' - MSNBC
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