Fox News announced on Monday that Tucker Carlson has departed the network.
“We thank him for his service as a host and, prior to that, as a contributor,” the network said in a statement.
The network announced that Carlson’s last program aired Friday.
Fox announced that it will begin airing “Fox News Tonight” at 8 p.m. on Monday as an interim program hosted by rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named.
Carlson was Fox’s most popular prime-time presenter, averaging more than 3 million viewers per night, more than any other cable television pundit.
The network parted ways with Carlson less than a week after agreeing to pay $787.5 million to resolve a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over coverage of former President Trump’s false claims of voter fraud and the company’s software.
The depositions taken by Dominion’s attorneys revealed the private communications of senior network hosts, including Carlson.
In a widely publicized text exchange with fellow prime-time hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson said he “passionately” detested Donald Trump and labeled the former president’s claims of voter fraud “insane.”
Carlson’s show premiered in 2016 and routinely featured contentious guests and segments on race, immigration, and other contemporary political hot topics.
His one-hour opinion program, which featured an introductory monologue and guest interviews, frequently served as a testing ground for Republican office-seekers and conservative activists seeking to expand their reach among voters and donors.
Trump sat down for a lengthy interview with Carlson earlier this month, which the former president used to criticize Democrats and the media.
Carlson’s departure was announced on the network’s “Outnumbered” program in the afternoon, with presenter Harris Faulkner echoing the outlet’s public statement that it was a mutual decision and thanking Carlson for his work at Fox.
On Friday, during his most recent appearance on the network, Carlson stated that he planned to return on Monday.
“This concludes our coverage for the week,” Carlson said before signing off. “We’ll be back on Monday.”
Carlson spoke at a Heritage Foundation event on Friday, where he previously served as a copy editor and fact checker for the organization’s now-defunct policy review quarterly.
After Carlson’s speech, Heritage president Kevin Roberts said, “If things go south for Fox News, there’s always a job for you here.”
“You’ve saved me before,” Carlson responded.
