Fox News Loses Half of Tucker Carlson's Viewers

Fox News viewers in Tucker Carlson's old timeslot reportedly decreased by about 50 percent since the network's biggest star was shockingly ousted on Monday.

Carlson and Fox News Media "agreed to part ways," according to a statement by Rupert Murdoch's media behemoth. The now-former Tucker Carlson Tonight host took over the 8 p.m. hour at the network after stints in print journalism and at competitive networks CNN and MSNBC.

The effects on Fox News have been immediate and harsh, according to CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy. After bringing in more than 3 million viewers between Monday and Thursday last week, ratings fell to 1.7 million viewers on Tuesday and 1.33 million on Wednesday.

Wednesday's ratings drop brought in 124,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic, reported by Darcy as the slot's worst ratings since prior to September 11, 2001. Fox & Friends anchor Brian Kilmeade filled in as one of many expected rotating hosts until a replacement is chosen.

Last month, Carlson's show hit its highest ratings since August 2022 after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy granted Carlson access to more than 41,000 hours of security footage from the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

In 2020, Carlson's show reached the top of the cable news mountain, averaging 5.3 million viewers per episode, which made him not just the highest-rated host on Fox News but in all of cable news. He became the first primetime host since 2008 to surpass 1 million viewers in the coveted 25-54 demographic.

The impact of Carlson's exit has been immediately felt by Fox and Fox News Corporation Chairman Murdoch, the latter of whom lost $180 million of his net worth at a point on Monday after news broke of the split.

Robert Schmuhl, professor emeritus of American studies and journalism at the University of Notre Dame, told Newsweek that Fox News' viewership drop is "predictable" and similarly occurred after the network called Arizona for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

"What Fox News needs to do is to find someone who can either bring the Carlson audience back to watching that hour or appeal to people who weren't previously watching," Schmuhl said. "Either approach is tricky, but what's clear is that Carlson's time was up at Fox. Who would want to work at a place where the most visible face of the network has little more than disdain for colleagues?"

Carlson had become more than just a host but in many cases the face of the network.

When news broke of his departure, former viewers immediately lamented the move on social media, with many comparing the situation to the decision by Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light to partner with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.

"I hope conservatives make the Budweiser boycott look like small potatoes compared to the boycott of FOX News," Twitter user Brian Topping wrote.

Multiple other calls for boycotts have been led by Steve Bannon, former White House adviser in the Trump administration, who in the aftermath said there's "no reason to Watch Fox" anymore.

"Old Man Murdoch is Pure Evil and Pure Anti-MAGA," Bannon said.

Longtime Fox News host Sean Hannity quickly mentioned Carlson during a show this week, as he and his guests were mocking the firing of Don Lemon at CNN. Carlson and Lemon were gone from their networks on Monday.

"We are not talking about Tucker [Carlson], I don't really have any details about it but he had a massive audience and has a huge following," Hannity said. "[Don Lemon] had nobody."

Darren Davis, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame, told Newsweek that he expects the Fox News audience to return eventually.

"Of course, a great deal depends on where Tucker Carlson lands," Davis said. "There are no real or legitimate alternatives to the Fox News brand, and there are no alternatives that can sustain the conservative appetites of the lost viewers."

He compared the situation to ones of years past, notably the departures of former star anchors Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly, both of whom preceded Carlson at the network. Fox News maintained strong viewership that was ultimately claimed by Carlson.

"It's just a matter of time for Fox News [to] find someone to appeal to their viewers. Fox News will experiment with different hosts, but they will eventually find someone. There does not seem to be a shortage of players on their farm team."

Ramesh Srinivasan, professor of information studies at UCLA, told Newsweek via phone that it remains to be seen how much of the Carlson effect was based on his appeal as a host versus the way he has presented issues and the the positions he takes on them.

"Tucker Carlson's played perfectly well to the sharpened brand on Fox, and very, very well to the Trump base—which is still a very significant number of people in the country," Srinivasan said. "There's likely to be some leveling out in the dips in viewership but it's going to be absolutely critical who they choose to have in that primetime slot."

Mia Moody-Ramirez, professor and chair in the Baylor University Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media, told Newsweek via email that Fox viewers "taking their business elsewhere" may be a result of not fully knowing or understanding details of why Carlson was fired in the first place.

"As history as shown, FOX's ratings will return to normal once network executives find a suitable replacement for Carlson," Moody-Ramirez said. "Like anyone else, he is replaceable. It is hoped that the person who replaces him will have a more agreeable personality."

Carlson broke his silence Wednesday in a video posted on Twitter, which has since been viewed nearly 74 million times. Carlson never mentioned the split with Fox News, nor did he hint about any concrete future plans.

Eric Bolling, a former Fox News host, secured about 510,000 viewers on Newsmax, which openly celebrated Carlson's departure because of the potential benefit on its viewership. Bolling's ratings nearly tripled since this time last week.

Update 4/28/23, 3:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Ramesh Srinivasan and Mia Moody-Ramirez.