Its most popular anchor was always an unlikely populist
the most popular cable-television host had a prime-time show on Fox News. Loud, opinionated and bombastic, he was a thorn in the side of two Democratic administrations. Liberals abhorred him; conservatives tuned in to see him rail against “political correctness” and other liberal pieties.
That species is as endangered as the blue whale; Mr Carlson’s political views are far more baroque and hard-edged. Like many on the new right, he has fawned over Viktor Orban, Hungary’s illiberal leader. He has argued that Democrats are “trying to replace the current electorate…with new people, more obedient voters from the Third World”—a theory that finds favour on the hard right.
In private, however, his feelings about Mr Trump were not nearly so warm. Just two days before the Capitol riot, he texted his producer: “I hate [Trump] passionately,” he wrote. The former president’s greatest strength, according to Mr Carlson, “is destroying things. He’s the undisputed world champion of that. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong.” To another colleague, he wrote: “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait.
Some see Mr Carlson’s unceremonious departure—he and his executive producer Justin Wells, who is also out, reportedly had no inkling of their fate on Monday morning—as a tacit admission of wrongdoing, intended to reassure investors and pre-emptively staunch an advertising outflow of the sort that hit Mr O’Reilly’s show. Just a few days earlier, Fox parted ways with another Trump-boosting host, Dan Bongino.
Whatever the reason, Mr Carlson’s departure, like Mr O’Reilly’s, is a reminder that while Fox news may nurture and create stars, it is not beholden to them. When their antics become too costly or embarrassing, they are shown the door, whatever the cost . But there is a lesson here for gleeful liberals too. They danced on Mr O’Reilly’s grave, and Mr Carlson sprung up to replace him. Today they may be celebrating Mr Carlson’s departure, but Fox News is alive and well.
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