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Fox News announced last week the network had “parted ways” with top-rated host Tucker Carlson. Now, new reports indicate Newsmax, another top conservative network, is allegedly willing to offer Carlson more than just a big paycheck.
Newsmax is reportedly interested in giving Carlson his own primetime show on their network and allowing him to program the whole channel, per TMZ. That would give Carlson a substantial amount of power, including making decisions on shows that currently air on the network.
“Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … the news channel is doing everything it can to sweeten the deal for Tucker to come on board — including floating the idea of letting him program the whole channel, not just his own show. That would be a pretty enticing deal point … in addition to having his own primetime show, Tucker would have a say over what shows lead into and out of his show, which can be key in achieving bigger TV ratings,” TMZ reported.
“While our sources stress Newsmax hasn’t formally offered Tucker a job — he can’t have formal discussions due to his current Fox News contract — we’re told the network execs have made it clear to people around him, they would basically give him a big say in rebranding their channel,” the report added.
Late last week, rumors began swirling around who Fox News might choose to take over Carlson’s time slot.
Mediaite published a report titled, “Who Will Replace Tucker Carlson at Fox News? Here Are Mediaite’s Top Picks,” where staff members compiled a list of potential hosts who could take over Carlson’s coveted 8 PM time slot. Fox News stated it would rotate hosts before making any final decisions on Carlson’s replacement.
Right now, Jesse Watters has 7 PM ET, Sean Hannity has 9 PM ET, and Laura Ingraham has the 10 PM ET time slot.
Mediaite suggested in its report that Fox News could simply move around Watters, Ingraham, or Hannity to give them the 8 PM time slot and test a new host in a later time slot.
That way, a more seasoned host would simply take over Carlson’s time slot on the network.
In the event that Fox News keeps the primetime hosts in their current time slots, here are the top 6 names that Mediaite suggested could take over Carlson’s show:
Greg Gutfeld — who hosts “The Five” and his late-night comedy show “Gutfeld!”
Tulsi Gabbard — a former Democratic lawmaker and 2020 presidential candidate
Kayleigh McEnany — former press secretary in the Trump administration
Brian Kilmeade — a longtime host and figure at Fox News
Pete Hegseth — a co-host and contributor at Fox News
Jesse Watters — who hosts “The Five” and his own primetime show
Time will tell what Fox News decides to do, but news of Carlson’s firing ignited a firestorm on social media this week.
Carlson was reportedly “blindsided” on Monday when he received a phone call from CEO Suzanne Scott informing him that he had been fired.
Now, a former top Fox News host thinks he knows the reason why Carlson was let go.
During an interview with Chris Cuomo of News Nation, Bill O’Reilly — the former Fox News host who previously occupied the coveted primetime 8 PM time slot — argued that he believes Carlson was fired because the network is facing a slew of lawsuits related to the 2020 election.
“Because the pending litigation was harpooned this morning. Carlson didn’t know. It just happened. And that’s the nature of television news, the most wicked industry in the United States of America,” O’Reilly said.
WATCH:
Bill O’Reilly tells Chris Cuomo why he thinks Tucker Carlson was fired:
“That’s the nature of television news — the most wicked industry in the United States of America.”pic.twitter.com/6BYflhoDUa
— Patriot Alerts (@alerts___) April 26, 2023
Some reports suggested that Carlson believes he was fired because the Murdoch family is planning on selling the network.
“Carlson has told people he doesn’t know why he was terminated. According to the source, Scott refused to tell him how the decision was made; she only said that it was made ‘from above.’ Carlson has told people he believes his controversial show is being taken off the air because the Murdoch children intend to sell Fox News at some point,” according to the report.
